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The Capri Global-owned UP Warriorz (UPW) will embark on their WPL journey in the second match of a Sunday doubleheader against the Gujarat Giants at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.
The Warriorz will be led by Australian wicket-keeper batter Alyssa Healy, with star Indian all-rounder Deepti Sharma named the vice-captain. Plenty of eyebrows were raised when the captaincy was announced, with many feeling that local girl Deepti would be a better captain. Only time will tell if it was the right decision.
UPW had a strong auction, signing some of the biggest names in women’s cricket, and that doesn’t include Deepti and Alyssa. So let’s take a more detailed look at the UP Warriorz heading into WPL 2023.
Auction
The UP Warriorz had clear targets coming into the auction, and to be quite honest, they achieved them with considerable ease. They went after all-rounder Deepti Sharma quite hard and eventually managed to secure her signature for ₹2.6 Crores.
They also have a good set of Indian players to complement Deepti Sharma in Devika Vaidya, Anjali Sarvani, and Rajeshwari Gayakwad. They also invested in India’s U-19 World Cup winners, with spinner Parshavi Chopra and vice-captain Shweta Sehrawat getting a WPL contract from UPW.
They followed that up with brilliant overseas buys, including the No.1-ranked bowler across formats, Sophie Ecclestone, powerful Australian all-rounders Grace Harris and Tahlia McGrath, and the fiery Shabnim Ismail. Later on, they also snapped up Alyssa Healy for ₹70 Lakhs in what was probably the steal of the auction. The tall England seamer Lauren Bell also joined the side for ₹30 Lakhs and will provide good cover for Shabnim.
It was surprising to see the other teams let UPW go about their business because the prices that some of their buys went for were way lower than they should’ve been. Tahlia McGrath and Grace Harris are players who consistently strike at more than 140 in international cricket, and they went for a combined amount of ₹2.15 Crores. The less said about what a bargain deal Alyssa was, the better.
While some may call this luck or the effects of the auction order, it has to be said that UPW came in with a clear plan and executed it very well. Despite having the least number of players in their squad (16), UPW has one of the strongest teams in the WPL.
UP Warriorz squad for WPL 2023:
Alyssa Healy (C), Deepti Sharma (VC), Anjali Sarvani, Sophie Ecclestone, Shabnim Ismail, Devika Vaidya, Tahlia McGrath, Grace Harris, Lauren Bell, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Shweta Sehrawat, Kiran Navgire, Parshavi Chopra, Laxmi Yadav, S Yashasri, and Simran Shaikh.
UP Warriorz: Strengths
There is plenty to like about the UP Warriorz, who are arguably the strongest of all the teams on paper. They have the best set of overseas players, statistically speaking, with Alyssa Healy, Sophie Ecclestone, Tahlia McGrath, and Shabnim Ismail some of the best in the business in their respective roles.
They also have a solid Indian core led by Deepti Sharma, who is one of India’s most important players. She is the X-Factor in this team and someone they will rely on to deliver in crucial moments. Her leadership and experience will be of utmost essence to the younger Indian players.
Anjali Sarvani, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, and Devika Vaidya were all part of India’s squad in the recently concluded T20 WC, making a quality Indian core group.
The Warriorz also have solid backups for most of the positions in the team.
They’ve also invested well for the future, signing some promising players in Shweta Sehrawat and Parshavi Chopra, who won the U-19 World Cup. Hard-hitting batter Kiran Navgire is another domestic talent filled with potential.
UPW: Weaknesses
UPW doesn’t have any glaring weaknesses, but their squad size of 16 players stands out. Granted, it is a short tournament, but going into an event like this with only five substitutes could leave them short of options in case injury strikes.
They also appear light on batters in the top order apart from Alyssa Healy. This will force them to rely on Shweta Sehrawat and Kiran Navgire to fill these gaps. They might find it hard to step up from U-19 or domestic levels to this stage, and it’ll be interesting to see how they fare on the pitch.
UP Warriorz Predicted Playing XI: Alyssa Healy(C/WK), Shweta Sehrawat, Kiran Navgire, Tahlia McGrath, Deepti Sharma, Devika Vaidya, Sophie Ecclestone, Shabnim Ismail, Parshavi Chopra, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, and Anjali Sarvani.
UP Warriorz: Best Fantasy Cricket Options for WPL 2023
This team is loaded with quality Fantasy cricket options, and there’s no better place to start than with the captain and vice-captain themselves. Alyssa Healy and Deepti Sharma are terrific Fantasy cricket picks and should finish the tournament among the highest point scorers.
Sophie Ecclestone is another must-have in your teams, with Tahlia McGrath also another solid option.
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