UP Warriorz: A blend of Experience and Youth in WPL

In 2022, when the big news was disclosed that WPL will be held in 2023 for the first time , everyone in the fraternity was skeptical how it would unfold. Unlike the men’s IPL, only 5 owners expressed their interest and invested in the teams. Big questions like ‘Will people follow WPL like they follow IPL?’, ‘Which team will buy which player?’, etc, arose in everyone’s mind. But now, two years down the line, the BCCI is hosting the third edition of WPL. The platform is now bigger and better and it has certainly shot up the stocks of women’s cricket. A huge credit for this goes to not just the players and the giant board- BCCI, but also to the franchise owners who showed interest in the very first place. 

Today, in this article by ZAP cricket, we will talk about one of the five teams in WPL, the team that represents Lucknow, UP Warriorz. The team is led by Alyssa Healy and Deepti Sharma works as her deputy. 

About the owners- Capri Global

The UP Warriorz team is owned by Capri Global. Whereas, the men’s team Lucknow Supergiants are owned by RPSG Group and hence both the teams, despite covering the same geographical area, are owned by different entities. The former is a financing group and the latter is into multiple industries like FMCG, IT enabled services, etc. 

Support staff of UP Warriorz 

Squad of UP Warriorz 

Performances over the years 

Despite having key overseas players, the team ended at 3rd and 4th spot in the first and the second session, respectively. The team failed to deliver a great show in their first two editions. Young blood didn’t rise to the occasion, which eventually made the job of senior players tough.
On paper, it is one of the strongest teams that has a good balance of junior and senior players. The equation their management has created by smartly investing in all rounders in overseas players category, has given an edge to their side. However, the management needs to work on the consistency of the players and build a strong team culture to reach their full potential. 

The third edition of WPL may turn fortunes for the team. With strong support of head coach Jon Lewis and mentor Lisa Sthalekar, UP can turn the tips in their favour. They will also play few of the matches at their home ground and hence, they can take maximum benefit of the favouring conditions. 

Home ground: Ekana Stadium 

The home ground of UP Warriorz’ team, Ekana Stadium, is the fifth largest stadium of India. It has a seating capacity of 50,000 people. It is owned and operated by Ekana Sportz City. In August 2019, BCCI awarded this venue to Afghanistan National Cricket Team as their third home venue in India after Dehradun and Greater Noida. The two ends at this ground are North End and South End. There are two pitches here with distinctive natures. One is black soil wicket that tends to remain slow and assist spinners. And the other is a red soil wicket that is relatively more batting friendly and gives more advantage to batters.

Key players aka “Pillars of the team”

Alyssa Healy 

Captain in the first two editions, Alyssa Healy, will miss the third segment due to an injury. Since her inclusion, she has always been a key player. With her batting, wicket keeping and leadership skills, she brings a lot to the table. However, she has been the sole warrior among all the ‘Warriorz’ as nobody actually capitalized their chances in the first two editions. Now that she’ll be out in the 2025 tournament, a lot of her responsibilities will be swiftly transferred on Deepti Sharma’s shoulder. 

Deepti Sharma 

The captain of the 2025 edition was the ‘Most Valuable Player’ in the 2024 edition. Just like a true all rounder, she’s one of those players who can fill in any spot. You ask her to bowl, she’ll take wickets, you ask her to bat, she’ll score runs! No matter what the situation is, you throw her at the deeper end, she’ll find her ways to fight back. She’s the versatile player of UP’s team.

Sophie Ecclestone 

If there's anyone who has made the most out of the spin friendly subcontinent conditions, it’s Sophie Ecclestone. With her sharp left arm spin bowling, she bowls those tight economical overs, creating pressure on the opponents. Like Deepti and Healy, she too has been a pillar of UP Warriorz. She’s a consistent player on whom the team relies heavily.  She brings a wealth of experience to the team and is known for her ability to take wickets. 

Despite their strong performance, the Warriorz have yet to lift the WPL trophy. However, with their current squad and addition of new talent, they are poised to make a strong run in the upcoming seasons.