UP Warriorz Playing 11 vs RCB-Women, WPL 2024, Match 2

UP Warriorz led by Alyssa Healy takes on Smriti Mandhana’s RCB Women in their WPL 2024 campaign opener in Bengaluru on February 24. The match starts at 7.30 pm IST.

The Warriorz finished third on the points table with four wins and as many losses from 8 games. They won and lost one game each against the RCB women. Though they managed to qualify for the playoffs they lost to the Mumbai Indians women in the Eliminator.

Alyssa Healy is one of the most well-known women cricketers of her time. The management thus had no hesitation to name her the skipper of the franchise after they bagged her last season. She finished the season with over 250 runs but could not win the silverware.

Heading into WPL 2024, the franchise gathered even more strength with the addition of players like Dani Wyatt – 20 Lakhs, Vrinda Dinesh – 1.3 Cr, Saima Thakor – 10 Lakh, Poonam Khemnar – 10 Lakh. Vrinda was one of the most expensive players at this year’s auction.

The biggest acquisition for the UP Warriors was Sri Lanka skipper Chamari Athapaththu who was signed up by the franchise as a replacement for England pacer Lauran Bell. interestingly, Athapaththu went unsold in the WPL 2023 auction and went unsold at the WPL 2024 auction as well. The UP franchise then managed to bag her as a replacement. If fit the explosive batter should play all the games in WPL 2024.

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UP Warriorz Playing 11 vs RCB-Women, WPL 2024, Match 2

Alyssa Healy (C)

Alyssa Healy will lead the franchise for the second time around and should open the batting. She scored 253 runs in nine matches at an average of 31.62. She is also the captain of the Australia women’s national team and has plenty of experience.

Chamari Athapaththu

Chahari should open the batting with Healy. The two can form an attacking and formidable attacking partnership at the top. Both respective captains of the national team are widely experienced players. Athapaththu has experience playing 122 T20Is for Sri Lanka.

Shweta Sehrawat

Shweta was picked up for 40 lakhs in the auction last season. She played seven matches and scored just 34 runs. Shweta came to the limelight at the 2023 ICC Women’s Under-19 T20 World Cup where she finished as the highest run-getter in the tournament with 297. The Warriors have faith in this Indian batting talent.

Vrinda Dinesh

Vrinda can bat at four. She was picked up by the franchise for 1.3 crores and is one of the most expensive players of this WPL auction. Representing Karnataka she scored 348 and 411 in the Women’s Senior One Day Trophy in 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons. If she plays, it will be her WPL debut.

Deepti Sharma

Deepti will bat at five, She is amongst the top all-rounders in the women’s game. She picked up 9 wickets in nine games last season and scored 90 runs with the bat. She has taken 100 ODI wickets and 113 T20I wickets and hails from UP.

Grace Harris

Harris will slot in at six. She played a few lovely cameos with for the franchise in the inaugural edition. Harris ended up with 230 runs at an average of 57.50 in just six games at a strike rate of 165.47.

Kiran Navgire

Navgire the hard-hitting batter can bat at seven. She scored 155 runs in nine matches last season at a strike rate of 114.81. She became the first Indian batter in women’s cricket to score 150 in T20 cricket. Her explosive batting in the format elevated her to join UP Warriorz.

Sophie Ecclestone

Ecclestone the England spinner was one of the better players on the side last season. She was the second-highest wicket-taker with 16 wickets from nine games at an average of 14.69. She has 109 T20I wickets in 76 games.

Anjali Sarvani

Sarvani is the young specialist left-arm pacer in the side. She picked up four wickets in nine matches last season after the Warriorz roped her in for 55 lakhs. She has played three T20I games for the national team.

Rajeshwari Gaikwad

Gaikwad can be the second spinner in the side. She picked up seven wickets in 8 games last season. She has plenty of international experience having played 64 ODIs and 58 T20Is. She has picked 99 ODI wickets and 61 T20I wickets in those games.

Gouher Sultana

Sultana concludes the likely Up Warriorz playing XI. This is her maiden WPL season and she is likely to make her WPL debut against RCB Women. She has picked up 95 wickets in 87 international matches for India. She last played international cricket in 2014 for India.

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