Problems aplenty for winless Warriorz as they face mighty Mumbai
UPW have three defeats in three games, while MI are chasing their third successive victory
Sruthi Ravindranath
15-Jan-2026 • 4 hrs ago
Meg Lanning was in good touch against Delhi Capitals • BCCI
Big picture
The problems continue to mount for UP Warriorz (UPW). Three matches into the season, they remain the only winless side, and there is little respite as they head into their next fixture without a break, this time against an in-form Mumbai Indians (MI) who are chasing their third straight victory.
There were signs of encouragement in UPW's last outing, with their bowlers running Delhi Capitals close, but the batting again failed to provide adequate support. Captain Meg Lanning led from the front with a fluent fifty against her former franchise, but wickets fell easily around her.
UPW also found themselves on the wrong side of a tactical call. A day after the WPL witnessed its first-ever retired out, UPW became the second team to attempt it. But after Harleen Deol was retired out for 47, UPW lost their next four wickets for 11 runs.
They seem to have not figured out their batting order yet, persisting with Kiran Navgire as opener despite three low scores. Should Phoebe Litchfield be promoted to open? Or could Shweta Sehrawat be given a chance at the top, freeing Navgire to play a middle-order or finisher role? With the tournament moving quickly, UPW have questions to answer urgently.
MI, meanwhile, have a good headache to deal with. Nicola Carey has impressed with both bat and ball, while Hayley Matthews marked her return from injury with a reminder of her big-hitting. Amelia Kerr has continued to be impressive with the ball, and Shabnim Ismail has been on point in all three matches so far. That the only complication for MI is which of their overseas players to leave out - Carey, Matthews, Kerr or Ismail - when Nat Sciver-Brunt, who missed the previous game with illness, returns, underlines their strength.
Team news & likely XIs
Matthews returned from a shoulder injury and slotted right at the top with G Kamalini, with Kerr, who filled that position, moving down the order. There's no update on Sciver-Brunt's return yet.
Mumbai Indians (probable): 1 G Kamalini (wk), 2 Hayley Matthews, 3 Amelia Kerr, 4 Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), 5 Nicola Carey, 6 Sajeevan Sajana, 7 Amanjot Kaur, 8 Poonam Khemnar, 9 Shabnim Ismail, 10 Sanskriti Gupta, 11 Triveni Vasistha
UPW brought in Chloe Tryon in place of Deandra Dottin for the last game. They will be looking to work out their best XI with the options they have.
UP Warriorz (probable): 1 Kiran Navgire, 2 Meg Lanning (capt), 3 Phoebe Litchfield, 4 Harleen Deol, 5 Shweta Sehrawat (wk), 6 Chloe Tryon, 7 Deepti Sharma, 8 Sophie Ecclestone, 9 Asha Sobhana, 10 Shikha Pandey, 11 Kranti Gaud
Big question
Player to watch: Amanjot Kaur and Deepti Sharma
MI are stacked with allrounders including marquee overseas names but one India player continues to stand out. Amanjot Kaur has made a quiet but telling impact again this year. In MI's opening game against RCB, she bowled a tidy spell of 1 for 18 from three overs. Against Gujarat Giants, Amanjot was expensive with the ball, conceding 48 from four overs, but made up for it with the bat, scoring 40 off 26 balls. Her knock complemented Harmanpreet in a 72-run partnership as MI went on to win.
UPW may need to reassess how they are using Deepti Sharma. Against DC, she walked in at No. 9 in the 20th over, despite having scored an unbeaten 45 in the previous match. With the ball too, she was held back until the 15th over, but made an immediate impact, inducing a miscue from an on-song Lizelle Lee and finishing with 2 for 26 from three overs. In the opening game as well, Deepti bowled only three overs. For a player of her experience and familiarity with the conditions, is there scope for UPW to get more from her?
Key stats
- Matthews has been dismissed by Sophie Ecclestone three times in the WPL in 46 balls for 30 runs. However, she has a strong record against Deepti, against whom she scored 55 runs off 34 balls without being dismissed in the tournament.
- Sciver-Brunt has a similar record against Deepti, having scored 61 off 39 balls without being dismissed. She has been dismissed by Ecclestone only once and scored 61 off 40 balls against her in this league.
Pitch and conditions
The pitches in Navi Mumbai have largely been batting-friendly so far, but with several games already played at the venue, signs of wear and tear are beginning to show. The surface has allowed the slower bowlers to find some success, as was evident in the UPW vs DC match.
Sruthi Ravindranath is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo