UP Warriorz bring in Amy Jones after Phoebe Litchfield leaves with quad injury

UP Warriorz (UPW) have picked England wicketkeeper-batter Amy Jones as replacement for the injured Phoebe Litchfield for the remainder of WPL 2026.

Litchfield has a quad injury, a Cricket Australia spokesperson confirmed, and has returned home to rehab ahead of the Australia vs India series, which starts on February 15. Litchfield, who played all six matches for UPW this season, leaves as the third-highest run-getter across teams - and UPW's top scorer - with 243 runs.

Jones, who went unsold at the auction, has been picked at her auction base price of INR 50 lakh by UPW. She brings with her the experience of having played 125 T20Is for England - apart from 111 ODIs - and also stints at the WBBL and the Hundred.

At WBBL 2025-26, she was Melbourne Stars' second-highest run-getter with 234 runs in 11 matches at a strike rate of 125.80. Stars made it to the Knockout, where they lost to Perth Scorchers. That match from early December 2025 remains Jones' last competitive outing.

UPW were last in action on January 22, when they lost to Gujarat Giants by 45 runs.

That left them at the bottom of the points table, and also with the poorest net run-rate of the five teams. As a result, not only do they need to win their two remaining games to qualify for the playoffs, but also have to boost their NRR. UPW are next in action on Thursday, when they play Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), and then on February 1, against Delhi Capitals (DC).