England all-rounder Nat Sciver-Brunt and spinner Sophie Ecclestone both secured six-figure deals at the inaugural Women’s Premier League (WPL) auction.

Sciver-Brunt was sold to the Charlotte Edwards-coached Mumbai Indians for 3.2 crore (around £320,000), while Ecclestone will play under England head coach Jon Lewis at UP Warriorz after landing a deal worth 1.8 crore (around £180,000).

England captain Heather Knight was among the big names who looked like she may go unsold before the Royal Challengers Bangalore came in with 40 lakh (around £40,000), with a maximum of six international players permitted on each the league’s five founding teams.

India’s Smriti Mandhana was the first player up and attracted the top price, with Royal Challengers Bangalore paying 3.4 crore (around £340,000) for the services of the hard-hitting batter, who watched it all unfold from the T20 World Cup in South Africa alongside her team-mates.

England's Sophie Ecclestone celebrates after the dismissal of West Indies' Zaida James (not seen) during the Group B T20 women's World Cup cricket match, just days before going in the WPL auction (Picture: MARCO LONGARI/AFP via Getty Images)

Former England batter Lydia Greenway hailed the eye-watering sums splashed on the top talent as a seismic shift for the women’s game.

She said: “It’s massive. The amount that Smriti Mandhana has just gone for is unheard of in our game.

“You’d be lucky if you made that out of the whole of your career as an international female cricketer, going back a few years.”

Even those not commanding top bids still fetched considerably more than they would elsewhere in the women’s game.

Nat Sciver-Brunt of England plays a shot during the ICC Women's T20 World Cup (Picture: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

England all-rounder Alice Capsey was claimed by Delhi Capitals for around £75,000 and Gujarat Giants picked up England batter Sophia Dunkley for just over £60,000.

Issy Wong joined Sciver-Brunt at Mumbai Indians for about £30,000, while England bowler Lauren Bell fetched a similar amount as she was added to the UP Warriorz line-up.

In comparison, the Hundred paid its top women’s talent a maximum fee of £31,250 in 2022.

Four England players entered the auction at the maximum base price of £50,000, including Ecclestone, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Katherine Sciver-Brunt and Danni Wyatt.

All-rounder Wyatt and Katherine Sciver-Brunt were among the unsold players on a list that also included England wicket-keeper Amy Jones, Kent captain Tammy Beaumont, England under-19 captain Grace Scrivens and Scottish sisters Sarah and Kathryn Bryce.

WPL auction - How much did England's cricketers go for in game-changing league