'Abhishek Nayar Masterclass': UP Warriorz Make Merry During WPL Auction 2026, Buy Back Deepti Sharma, Add Meg Lanning, Phoebe Litchfield
UP Warriorz entered the WPL Auction with highest purse and a new head coach in Abhishek Nayar. The franchise have made some smart purchases, buying back Sophie Ecclestone, Deepti Sharma and Kiran Navgire. Australia's Meg Lanning and Phoebe Litchfield also join in what is looking like a powerful line up.
UP Warriorz have opted for a clean slate heading into the first ever Mega Auction of the Women's Premier League. The first WPL cycle hasn't been kind to the UP franchise who have struggled for consistency. The Warriorz have revamped their coaching staff, bringing in KKR and former India batting coach Abhishek Nayar.
Nayar made moves in the first two hours of the auction, dominating the playing field with his high purse. UP Warriorz got Deepti Sharma for ₹ 3.2 Crore using their first RTM. They also added World No.1 bowler Sophie Ecclestone for a cheap ₹ 85 Lakh price. Another bidding war with Delhi Capitals saw them bag experienced leader Meg Lanning for ₹ 1.9 Crore.
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Had UP Warriorz retained both Deepti and Ecclestone, they would have had to part ways with 6 crore from their budget. Instead in the auction, they add Meg Lanning as well for the same budget.
Kranti Gaud also returned via RTM, with Harleen Deol and Asha Shobhana also relatively low priced buys. Such was the dominance, UP still had ₹ 9.85 crore left in the purse, with only 9 slots left to fill.
UP Warriorz did not have the best of cycles, failing to play a playoff match in any of the three seasons. The franchise did oversee a revamp in their coaching staff and opted to release most of their squad to signal a fresh start.
How netizens reacted to UP Warriorz's initial WPl auction performance
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