Can Lanning lead revamped Warriorz to maiden title?

With three wins and five losses in eight games, UP Warriorz finished at the bottom of the table in the 2025 season. Since reaching the playoffs in the inaugural season in 2023, they have won just six out of 16 matches in two seasons.

Warriorz went for an overhaul for 2026, releasing several key players including Alyssa Healy and Deepti Sharma and retaining only one uncapped player in Shweta Sehrawat. They went into the auction with the biggest purse of all teams, of INR 14.50 crore, and four RTM (right to match) options.

The overhaul was headlined by the appointment of Meg Lanning as captain. Warriorz splurged on Lanning, Deepti and Shikha Pandey - three of the five most expensive buys at the auction - and bolstered the squad further with big overseas names such as Deandra Dottin and Sophie Ecclestone and India fast bowler Kranti Gaud. They used RTMs to bring back Deepti, Ecclestone, Kiran Navgire and Gaud, restoring some continuity amid the changes.

The revamp extended beyond the playing group. Jon Lewis, who had coached the side since the first season, made way for Abhishek Nayar as head coach.

Warriorz had several gaps to fill from 2025, when they constantly shuffled their line-up and couldn't work out a bowling combination. Those concerns appear to have been addressed. Lanning's arrival brings leadership and stability, while experience now runs deep across both batting and bowling units.

The batting has a solid core in Lanning, Phoebe Litchfield and Harleen Deol, with proven power and finishing ability in Navgire and Dottin. The bowling attack looks equally well-rounded: Pandey leads the pace group, supported by Gaud, while the spin department has Deepti, Ecclestone and Asha Sobhana.

The one area of concern is wicketkeeping. Shipra Giri is the sole specialist keeper in the squad and is yet to make her international debut, and there is no obvious back-up. It also remains to be seen how Warriorz accommodate their lone retention, Sehrawat, in the line-up.

Kiran Navgire's power-hitting credentials are well established, even if consistency has eluded her in the WPL so far. She has featured both in the middle order and at the top, and remains Warriorz's leading six-hitter across seasons (24) and fifth overall in the league. In the Senior Women's T20 Trophy in October 2025, she powered Maharashtra to their maiden title, scoring 233 runs in seven innings, including the fastest century in Women's T20s, and finishing with the highest strike rate of 235.35 in the tournament. With Navgire expected to open alongside Lanning, will we see a fire-and-ice combo?

After a strong 2025 across T20 leagues, Shikha Pandey was signed for INR 2.4 crore at the auction. The senior seamer, who last played for India in 2023, picked up 23 wickets in 22 T20 matches in 2025 across the Women's Super Smash, Women's CPL and the WPL. She has the second-most wickets for a fast bowler in WPL history with 30 wickets from 27 innings, and is the only Indian bowler in the top five.

Best XI: 1 Meg Lanning (capt), 2 Kiran Navgire, 3 Harleen Deol, 4 Phoebe Litchfield, 5 Deepti Sharma, 6 Deandra Dottin, 7 Shipra Giri (wk), 8 Sophie Ecclestone, 9 Asha Sobhana, 10 Shikha Pandey, 11 Kranti Gaud.

Rest of the squad: Pratika Rawal, Shweta Sehrawat, Simran Shaikh, Chloe Tryon, G Trisha, Suman Meena, Charli Knott.

January 10 vs Gujarat Giants
January 12 vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru
January 14 vs Delhi Capitals