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Australian cricket wunderkind Annabel Sutherland will pocket $364,000 to play for the Delhi Capitals in the women’s India’s Women’s Premier League T20 tournament after a bidding war made her price skyrocket.
The 22-year-old Melbourne all-rounder was the equal-most expensive player purchased in the auction on Saturday night in Mumbai, while the Gurujat Giants bought her fellow Australians Phoebe Litchfield ($182,000) and Lauren Cheatle ($55,000) and compatriots Georgia Wareham ($70,000) and Sophie Molineux ($55,000) ended up at Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Annabel Sutherland on the attack for the Melbourne Stars in the WBBL.Credit: Getty Images
The asking price for Sutherland, formerly of Gurujat, escalated dramatically as the Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capital – the teams who played off in March’s WPL final – engaged in a quickfire bidding war to secure her services for the season that will start in February 2024.
Eventually, she sold for 200 lakh ($364,000). That is the second-highest price ever commanded by an Australian at a WPL auction, behind the $558,000 Gurujat paid for Ash Gardner earlier this year, and marginally more than they paid for top-order batter Beth Mooney at the same auction.
The auction marks a breakout year for Sutherland, who scored her maiden Test century playing for Australia in June as part of the Ashes series in England, a sparkling 137 not out off 184 balls. She plays T20 cricket domestically for the Melbourne Stars in the WBBL, where her coach is Jonathan Batty, also coach of the Delhi Capitals.
Sutherland’s father James was a long-running chief executive officer of Cricket Australia and before that was a fast bowler for Victoria, while her brother Will, also an all-rounder, is presently captain of Victoria’s men’s team and plays in the BBL for the Melbourne Renegades.
At the Capitals, Sutherland is likely to team up with her Melbourne Stars skipper and former Australian captain Meg Lanning, who was team captain last season. Queenslanders Jess Jonassen and Laura Harris are also on the Capitals roster.
Aware of Sutherland’s rapid progression over the past year, Batty showed at the auction how desperate he was for the Capitals to secure the sweet-striking all-rounder.
“She was the No.1 all-rounder on the list, she can bowl in all three phases of the game and can bat anywhere from three to number seven,” he said post the bidding war with Mumbai.
“Annabel is a very multi-skilled player … she’s really level, she’s got great leadership attributes and is a great team player.
“She covers a lot of bases with us – a fast bowler and her batting prowess really completes our squad.
“She was going to be our No.1 pick from the start with all those attributes.”
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