England face India in the second T20 of their tour on Saturday at the same time as the auction for the 2024 Women's Premier League is taking place; in total, 14 England players, plus three from Scotland and two from Ireland, are among the 165 available for the five franchises to bid on
Saturday 9 December 2023 12:45, UK
Amy Jones is confident the Women’s Premier League auction will not be a distraction for England’s players when they face India on Saturday.
The auction for the second edition of the WPL takes place in Mumbai at the same time as England face India in the city at the Wankhede Stadium in the second T20 of their tour.
It is a similar situation to February when Heather Knight's side were taking on Ireland in the Women's T20 World Cup at the same time as the auction for the inaugural WPL was happening, but Jones believes that experience means it will make it easier to focus on the game this time around.
"We had a very similar situation in the World Cup, which was completely new for us as a group," Jones, who is among those available for teams to bid for, said.
"It was the first auction ever in women's cricket and I don't know if it was a challenge last year, but it was something new to consider as a group. I think this year it will be a lot simpler, having done it before, and our attention will be on the game as much as possible.
"We did sit down in the group and try to address things and issues which might come of it, so it was probably always going to be a bit of a distraction last year. Hopefully this year it will be a bit more relaxed having been through it, so it shouldn't be a problem this year."
In total, 14 England players, along with three from Scotland and two from Ireland, are among the 165 players who will be available for the five WPL franchises to bid on, with wicketkeeper-bat Jones in the second-highest tier with a base price of INR 40 lakh.
In total, there are nine overseas spots still available for clubs to fill, with 60 players having been retained by teams from the first WPL, which will inevitably mean some of them will miss out on the T20 tournament next year.
Big-hitting England bat Danni Wyatt was a surprise name to go unsold in the auction last year and she made no secret of the fact she was disappointed not to be involved. Her base price for the 2024 player auction has dropped to INR 30 lakh from INR 50 lakh for the 2023 edition.
Jones is adamant England's players are not worrying about whether they are picked up or not, although those who do miss out will find plenty of support from their team-mates. Instead, the focus is firmly on backing up Wednesday's 38-run victory in the series opener against India.
"Last year, as you would, you look after your friends, and it doesn't really stray from that," Jones said. "This year, we're all managing expectation... I don't think it will have the emotions attached to it as such.
"A lot depends on expectation and an individual basis. A lot of us are pretty relaxed about it. It would be great if it happens and if not, we play so much cricket these days anyway and I think that mentality is good.
"We're really focused on the game we'll have, so I think it will be fine."
