With the Women’s Premier League (WPL) fever gripping the nation once again, all eyes are on the UP Warriorz as they embark on their quest for glory in the 3rd edition, commencing on February 14th, 2025. In a strategic shift, the reins have been handed over to the Indian all-rounder Deepti Sharma, as regular skipper Alyssa Healy has opted out of the tournament.
The UP Warriorz made a promising debut in the inaugural 2023 season of the WPL, finishing third in the league stages and securing a coveted spot in the playoffs. However, their journey was cut short in the Eliminator, where they suffered a 72-run defeat against the eventual champions, Mumbai Indians. The 2024 season proved to be a setback, with inconsistent performances leading to a fourth-place finish and missing out on the playoffs. Now, with a change in leadership and a fresh perspective, the UP Warriorz will be aiming to turn the tide and make a significant impact in the 2025 edition.
Pre-season Updates:
The regular Warriorz skipper Alyssa Healy opted to withdraw herself from the upcoming 3rd edition of the tournament, as she is still in the recovery process of her foot injury. She took a brave call to lead Australia in a recent one-off pink ball Test match, despite potentially being in the middle of her rehab en route to her recovery.
The star Indian all-rounder Deepti Sharma will step in as the skipper for the franchise in Alyssa Healy’s absence, and the young 22-year-old youngster Uma Chetry will don the wicket-keeping gloves for the upcoming 3rd edition of the WPL. A promising 29-year-old Caribbean all-rounder Chinelle Henry has been named her replacement in the Warriorz squad for the upcoming 3rd edition of the tournament.
The destructive and experienced English opening batter Danielle Wyatt-Hodge moved to the defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru camp, in a one-way trade ahead of the pre-season mini auctions to open up the overseas slot.
UP Warriorz WPL 2025 Auction picks:
Kranti Goud: Base Price: 10 Lakhs; Secured at 10 Lakhs
Alana King: Base Price: 30 Lakhs; Secured at 30 Lakhs
Arushi Goel: Base Price: 10 Lakhs; Secured at 10 Lakhs
Here’s the SWOT Analysis of UP Warriorz:
Let’s dive deep into how the Warriorz under the new leadership of Deepti Sharma could emerge as a strong contender and the kind of challenges the franchise could encounter en route to their aspirations of clinching their maiden WPL title.
Areas of concern/Weakness:
Lack of bankable pace-bowling depth –
Lack of penetration from the UP Warriorz pace bowling unit in the powerplay left the onus on the spin department consisting of the likes of Sophie Ecclestone and Deepti Sharma to carry the bowling unit. It became one of the key reasons for their setback, as a result of not making it to the playoffs in the previous edition, after a promising show in the inaugural season in 2023.
They have roped in a couple of local pace-bowling options from the domestic circuit in the form of Arushi Goel, and Kranti Goud to partner alongside the likes of Anjali Sarvani and Saima Thakor in the mini auctions ahead of the 3rd edition of the WPL from 14th February 2025 (Friday). The latter two are the most experienced pacers alongside the likes of Tahlia McGrath who is likely to be the 3rd pacer in their potential starting 11.
The Australian vice-captain hasn’t been bowling much off-late for her side at the international level. However, they have potentially covered it up to an extent with the inclusion of Chinelle Henry. Her inclusion in the starting 11 is there to be seen with the likes of Alana King and Chamari Athapaththu waiting in the wings to make it to the starting line-up.
No backup wicket-keeper –
The unavailability of their skipper Alyssa Healy is not only a massive blow to the franchise in terms of leadership capabilities, but they have also missed out on their first-choice wicketkeeper in the squad. This also provides an opportunity for the 22-year-old wicket-keeper batter Uma Chetry to not only take over the wicket-keeping gloves behind the stumps but also display her prowess with the bat. Chetry came in as a replacement player in the squad for Vrinda Dinesh in the 2nd edition of the tournament in 2024. Her being the only keeper left in the squad, puts much more responsibility on her to deliver and keep herself fit and ready for her side throughout the tournament.
Strengths and opportunity:
An opportunity for Shweta, Vrinda and Uma to deliver –
Shweta Sehrawat: The 20-year-old youngster caught everyone’s attention with her ground-breaking show with the bat in the inaugural edition of the ICC Women’s Under-19 T20 World Cup 2023 in South Africa. She topped the run-scoring charts with 297 runs at an outstanding strike rate of 139.43 and a Bradman-esque average of 99 in seven innings with the bat for India. Her tally of runs included three half-centuries, with her best performance in the tournament coming on 14th January 2023 in their tournament opener against South Africa when she played a cracking innings of 92*(57 balls) powering India to a solid total.
Her outstanding performances earned her a breakthrough contract in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) with the UP Warriorz outbidding Delhi Capitals to secure her services at four times her base price of 10 Lakhs. She scored 108 runs at a strike rate of 101.88 in seven innings with the bat for the UP Warriorz in the 2nd edition, after struggling to get off the blocks in the inaugural edition, with slim returns of 34 in six innings with the bat.
Shweta represents Delhi at the domestic level and scored 118 runs at a strike rate of 120.40 in six innings in a recent ‘Senior Women’s T20 Trophy’ campaign. She scored 128 runs at a strike rate of 128 in four innings, representing Team C in the Senior Women’s T20 Challenger Trophy. She scored 202 runs at a strike rate of 68.94 and a decent average of 25.25 in nine innings for her side including a couple of half-centuries for her side in the Senior Women’s One Day Trophy. She scored 73 runs in three innings while representing Team E in the Senior Women’s One-Day Challenger Trophy.
Uma Chetry: The 22-year-old wicket-keeper batter came into the scheme of things for the WPL following a shoulder injury to Vrinda Dinesh, replacing her in the previous edition of the tournament. She represents Assam at the domestic level, scoring 102 runs at a strike rate of 125.92 and a sensational average of 51 in three innings with the bat for her side in the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy. She was the leading run-scorer for Team B and overall, the 2nd highest run-scorer of the tournament with 231 runs at an impressive strike rate of 154 and an outstanding average of 57.75 in four innings with the bat for her side in the Senior Women’s T20 Challenger Trophy.
Vrinda Dinesh: The name Vrinda Dinesh resonated loudly at the WPL 2024 auctions when the UP Warriorz splashed out a staggering 1.3 Crores for her services. At just 23, she instantly became one of the most talked-about players, with fans eager to witness the young talent in action. However, fate dealt a cruel blow. Just three games into her WPL journey, a shoulder injury sustained while fielding against the Mumbai Indians abruptly ended her season. The disappointment was palpable as Uma Chetry stepped in as her replacement, leaving Vrinda with a premature end to her maiden campaign.
Undeterred, Vrinda channelled her energy into domestic cricket, staging a remarkable comeback. Representing Karnataka, she showcased her aggressive intent with 99 runs at a strike rate of 119.27 in the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy. She followed it up with 88 runs at a blistering strike rate of 157.14 in the Senior Women’s T20 Challenger Trophy. But it was in the Senior Women’s One-Day Trophy where Vrinda truly set the stage on fire. As the leading run-scorer for Karnataka, she amassed 380 runs at an astonishing average of 63.33 and a strike rate of 146.71. Her hunger for runs translated into two half-centuries and a magnificent century, including a Player-of-the-Match performance of 125 runs against Tripura. Continuing her stellar run, she also made a significant mark in the Senior Women’s One-Day Challenger Trophy, where she scored 217 runs, including another scintillating century against Team B, solidifying her status as a player to watch out for.
She has been retained by the franchise for the upcoming 3rd edition of the tournament. It also provides her with an opportunity to script her remarkable redemption journey in the WPL.
Inclusion of the Australian spin maestro Alana King –
The 29-year-old leg-spinner from Australia Alana King had a breakthrough time in the recently concluded 8th edition of the multi-format Women’s Ashes. A breathtaking performance saw glimpses of the Australian great Shane Warne with her uncanny ability to make the ball talk, turning the game single-handedly with her spell. She has been roped in by the UP Warriorz franchise for the upcoming 3rd edition of the WPL. The Warriorz secured her services at a base price of 30 Lakhs, making it arguably one of the best steals of the WPL 2025 mini auctions. She will be partnering alongside the likes of Sophie Ecclestone and Deepti Sharma, making it a lethal spin trio. It will be an absolute treat and a spin masterclass for the fans as and when they take the field together at any stage of the upcoming 3rd edition of the tournament from 14th February 2025 (Friday).
UP Warriorz WPL 2025 Squad:
Deepti Sharma (C), Uma Chetry (WK), Chinelle Henry, Poonam Khamnar, Kiran Navgire, Dinesh Vrinda, Chamari Athapaththu, Grace Harris, Alana King, Tahlia McGrath, Shweta Sehrawat, Anjali Sarvani, Sophie Ecclestone, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Saima Thakor, Arushi Goel, Kranti Goud, Gouher Sultana
UP Warriorz WPL 2025 Fixtures:
February 16 (Sunday): vs Gujarat Giants, Vadodara
February 19 (Wednesday): vs Delhi Capitals, Vadodara
February 22: (Saturday): vs Delhi Capitals, Bengaluru
February 24 (Monday): vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Bengaluru
February 26 (Wednesday): vs Mumbai Indians, Bengaluru
March 3 (Monday): vs Gujarat Giants, Lucknow
March 6 (Thursday): vs Mumbai Indians, Lucknow
March 8 (Saturday): vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Lucknow
March 13 (Thursday): Eliminator, Mumbai
March 15 (Saturday): Final, Mumbai
Can Deepti Sharma lead the UP Warriorz to their maiden title in the 3rd edition in 2025?
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