"Retaining Deepti, Sophie, Kiran, Kranti ensures continuity": UPW head coach Nayar after WPL Auction

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], November 28 (ANI): The head coach of UP Warriorz, Abhishek Nayar, expressed happiness with his team's outing in the Women's Premier League (WPL) auction, saying that retaining talents like all-rounder Deepti Sharma, spinner Sophie Ecclestone, batter Kiran Navgire and pacer Kranti Gaud ensures "continuity in our core" and the newly added plaers are the ones "who understand pressure, deliver in big moments and reflect the competitive, fearless brand of cricket" franchise wants to go with.

The Capri Sports-owned UP Warriorz, who were looking to rebuild their squad at the WPL Auction in New Delhi, pulled off quite the coup as they signed on the talismanic former Australian captain Meg Lanning, who had featured in all the previous finals of the WPL with Delhi Capitals (DC) as a captain.

Alongside her, the UP Warriorz, who are now coached by Nayar, also added to their squad the likes of the dynamic Phoebe Litchfield, WPL Season 2's MVP and ICC ODI World Cup 2025 winner Deepti Sharma, and England's Sophie Ecclestone, one of the most proficient spinners in the game. Among the others from India's World Cup-winning squad whom the Warriorz have picked are Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol and Kranti Goud.

Speaking in a press release by UP Warriorz, Nayar said, "This auction has given us exactly the kind of squad we wanted to build. Retaining Deepti, Sophie, Kiran and Kranti ensures continuity in our core, and adding leaders like Meg, dynamic young talents such as Phoebe and Pratika, and experienced match-winners like Harleen, Shikha and Deandra gives us balance across departments. These are players who understand pressure, deliver in big moments and reflect the competitive, fearless brand of cricket we want UP Warriorz to stand for."

Lanning, who has won seven World Cups for Australia, including five as captain, not only adds immense leadership qualities to the UP Warriorz but also brings with her plenty of firepower as an opening batter. Bought in for Rs 1.90 Crore, Lanning, who is also a Gold Medalist at the Commonwealth Games for Australia, has been in fantastic form in white-ball cricket in recent months.

Meanwhile, Deepti, the franchise's most valuable player with 507 runs and 27 wickets in 25 matches, will continue with UPW after being retained through the Right-to-Match option for Rs 3.2 crore, keeping one of India's finest at the heart of the team. Deepti, who was instrumental for India when they recently won the ICC ODI Women's World Cup, was also named the Player of the Tournament in the WC win and is expected to play a crucial role in the UP Warriorz's line-up. Deepti was also the highest wicket-taker at the Women's World Cup 2025 with 22 scalps.

UPW further strengthened their spin battery by using their second Right-to-Match to bring back world-class left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone for Rs 85 lakh, reinforcing a proven and reliable bowling unit.

That was not all, the UP Warriorz also picked up Australia's rising star Phoebe Litchfield for Rs 1.20 crore, an aggressive young top-order batter who brings long-term potential and immediate impact. West Indies' power-hitter Deandra Dottin joined the side for Rs 80 lakh, bringing with her a reputation of being the leading T20I six-hitter, a stunning best figure of 5 for 5 with the ball, and a WPL strike rate of 154.34.

World Cup winner, Harleen Deol, joined the UPW for Rs 50 lakh. She arrives after averaging 30 with the bat in the WPL and is known to be one of the safest fielders in the league. The UP Warrioz used another RTM to retain the young Kranti Gaud for Rs 50 lakh, securing the pacer who led India's attack at the 2025 ODI World Cup, has a WPL best of 4-25, and is known for her accurate yorkers. Interestingly, Kranti burst into the limelight whilst playing for the UP Warriorz last season and has not looked back since. The Warriorz added the young and stylish southpaw Pratika Rawal to the mix for Rs 50 Lakhs.

UPW used their RTM card to bring back Kiran Navgire for Rs 60 lakh. A powerful ball-striker with a 140.13 WPL strike rate and the flexibility to bat anywhere in the top six, and remains a key part of the Warriorz batting group.

India pacer Shikha Pandey, who is one of the few players from the country to have played franchise cricket outside the WPL, will also turn out in the Warriorz colours. Known to be a player who never gives up, Shikha became the third most expensive buy of the day, after a bidding contest with RCB. With 100-plus international games, strong economy rates in both the WPL and WBBL, and a handy WPL batting average, she adds significant bite to the Warriorz's attack.

The franchise also added leg-spinner Asha Sobhana for Rs 1.1 crore, a proven wicket-taker with 17 WPL scalps at an average of 19.23, a best of 5-22, and the ability to contribute valuable runs down the order.

UP Warriorz now heads into WPL 2026 with renewed purpose and a reinforced squad built around experience, youth and world-class leadership.

Squad: Deepti Sharma, Shikha Pandey, Meg Lanning, Phoebe Litchfield, Asha Sobhana, Sophie Ecclestone, Deandra Dottin, KP Navgire, Harleen Deol, Kranti Gaud, Pratika Rawal, Shweta Sehrawat, CL Tryon, SL Meena, TG Norris, Trisha Gongadi, SR Giri, Simran Shaikh. (ANI)

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