Today we’ll look at the strongest playing XI of the UP Warriorz team ahead of the inaugural edition of the Women’s Premier League 2023.
Alyssa Healy (wk)
Alyssa Healy is a marauder with the bat. She has destroyed bowling attacks with her flamboyant stroke play and made the international arena her happy hunting ground. On her day, the ace batter has taken down even the best of bowlers and stamped her authority on the cricket field.
Healy has made 94 appearances for Australia in the 50-over format and plundered 2639 runs at a strike rate of 100.18. Talking about the T20Is, she has accumulated 2355 runs in 137 matches at a strike rate of 128.26.
Shweta Sehrawat
Shweta Sehrawat caught a lot of eyeballs with her stunning performances in the Women’s Under-19 T20 World Cup 2023. The 18-year-old played a fearless brand of cricket and provided Shafali Verma & Co. with crackling starts on a consistent basis.
Sehrawat featured in seven games in the marquee tournament and plundered 297 runs at a strike rate of 139.43. Her batting exploits were instrumental in the India Under-19 team clinching the world title. Seeing the youngster’s meteoric rise, UP Warriorz signed her for INR 40 lakh.
Tahlia McGrath
Tahila McGrath has lighted the international arena with her spectacular performances from the time she made her debut. The 27-year-old has demolished bowlers with her power-hitting might and has been a game-changer with the bat. Also, she has been superb with the ball and provided Australia with timely breakthroughs.
McGrath has smashed 557 runs in 22 T20Is at a strike rate of 140.30 and bagged 13 wickets at an economy of 7.53. UP Warriorz went all guns blazing to sign her at the auction and eventually grabbed her for INR 1.4 crore.
Deepti Sharma
Deepti Sharma is one of the finest all-rounders that Indian cricket has produced. The 25-year-old has scored 1891 runs in 80 ODIs at an average of 36.36 and bagged 91 wickets at an economy of 4.18. In the T20Is, she has scored 914 runs in 88 games at a strike of 106.52 and picked up 97 scalps at an economy of 6.12.
Kiran Navgire
Kiran Navgire was quite magnificent in the 2021–22 Women’s Senior T20 Trophy. She featured in seven games for Nagaland and smashed 525 runs at a strike rate of 131.25. Navgire displayed her power-hitting might in the Women’s T20 challenge, smashing 69 runs off 34 balls in the game against the Trailblazers.
Navgire’s inclusion provides firepower to the batting line-up and therefore, UP Warriorz signed the middle-order batter for INR 30 lakh at the WPL 2023 auction.
Simran Shaikh
Simran Shaikh is one of the promising batters in the Indian domestic cricket. She showed glimpses of brilliance in the Senior Women’s T20 Challenger Trophy 2022 and scored 54 runs in three games at a strike rate of 110.20. The UP franchise liked what they saw in Simran and roped her into the side. Eventually, UP Warriorz signed the Mumbai batter for INR 10 lakh at the recently culminated auction.
Devika Vaidya
Devika Vaidya is one of the dependable spin-bowling all-rounders in the Indian cricketing circles. She has featured in 11 T20Is and scored 89 runs at an average of 22.25. On the bowling front, the 25-year-old has taken six wickets in those outings for the Women in Blue. Devika, with her ability to contribute to both departments, is a valuable addition to any side.
Sophie Ecclestone
Sophie Ecclestone is one of the finest spinners going around in world cricket at the moment. She has bamboozled batters with her variations and ripped through top-quality batting line-ups for fun. Further, the 23-year-old is no muck the bat and has played crucial knocks slotting in at lower down the order.
Ecclestone has bagged 92 wickets in 67 T20Is at an economy of 5.85 and scored 165 runs at a strike rate of 117.85.
Anjali Sarvani
Anjali Sarvani played well in the Senior Women’s T20 Challenger Trophy 2022. She troubled batters with the left-arm angle and chipped in with timely breakthroughs. The 25-year-old took three wickets in four wickets at a superb economy of 5.50.
Shabnim Ismail
Shabnim Ismail has been a giant of a player in world cricket. She has rattled batters with her pace . The veteran pacer has featured in 109 T20Is and bagged 117 wickets at an economy of 5.73. Talking about the 50-over format, the 34-year-old has picked up 191 wickets in 127 matches at an economy of 3.70.
Rajeshwari Gayakwad
Rajeshwari Gayakwad has been a proven performer for India across formats. She has featured in 64 ODIs and taken 99 wickets at an economy of 3.63. Talking about the shortest format, the 31-year-old has picked up 58 wickets in 52 games at an economy of 6.17.