The Mumbai Indians have released wicketkeeper-batsman G Kamalini ahead of the Women’s Premier League 2027 auction. On September 28, 2026, the franchise confirmed the move as part of a larger wave of squad reduction that saw six players dismissed in total ahead of the WPL 2027 player auction, which is set to take place in Kochi on October 28.

Kamalini, 18, made her T20I debut for India on December 30, 2025, against Sri Lanka. Despite her young age, she has already played senior international cricket and contributed to important Indian team victories such as the Women’s Asia Cup in Dubai and the Asian Games gold medal in Japan.

WPL 2027 is set to run from January 14 to February 7, 2027, with the five-team tournament going to auction before the season begins. Kamalini’s release occurs against the backdrop of a substantial scheduling problem, which is believed to be key to the decision.

Why did the U19 Women’s T20 World Cup influence Kamalini’s release?

The U19 Women’s T20 World Cup, which will be contested in Nepal and Bangladesh, is scheduled to overlap with the WPL 2027 season. Given the conflict, Kamalini may have been absent for a significant period of the tournament if the Mumbai Indians had retained her. The Women in Blue enter the global event as defending champions, having won the U19 Women’s T20 World Cup in both 2023 and 2025, and given her age and recent international experience, Kamalini is a potential option for the India Women side.

Retaining a player who may miss matches owing to a large international commitment is a realistic difficulty for a franchise establishing a competitive lineup. Releasing Kamalini ahead of the auction allows both the athlete and the Harmanpreet Kaur-led team to plan their seasons without constraints. With the WPL 2027 auction slated for October 28 in Kochi, Kamalini will be available for all five franchises to bid on, and her senior honours record at such a young age is expected to pique the curiosity of rival clubs in the league.

What has Kamalini achieved in Indian cricket thus far?

Despite being a teenager, Kamalini has already received significant senior awards. She was a member of the Indian team that won the Women’s Asia Cup in Dubai and also contributed to India’s gold medal effort at the Asian Games in Japan. These achievements confirm her status as one of the most promising young wicketkeeper-batters in Indian women’s cricket.

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Kamalini’s senior international experience and eligibility for the Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup highlight her unique position in Indian women’s cricket as a player whose immediate future spans both age groups and senior formats. That dual eligibility, although a testament to her talent, is precisely what made her retention a difficult prospect for the Mumbai Indians coming into the WPL 2027.

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