New Delhi, October 24, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Former India cricketer Reema Malhotra believes UP Warriorz must recruit an aggressive Indian opener and another power-hitter to strengthen their batting lineup ahead of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2027 auction.
Having finished at the bottom of the standings in consecutive seasons, UP Warriorz will enter the auction in Kochi on October 28 with the biggest purse of Rs 3.65 crore and up to seven slots to fill, including two overseas positions.
Reema said the franchise needed to address its opening combination and avoid pairing batters with similar approaches, as that could affect the team’s ability to make quick starts.
UP Warriorz have retained Pratika Rawal, but Reema believes she should not open alongside Meg Lanning because both players prefer taking time to settle at the crease.
“UP Warriorz have retained Pratika Rawal, which means she’s in their scheme of things, but I wouldn’t want Pratika to open the innings because she has a similar playing style to Meg Lanning. Both take their time to get going, which would hurt the Warriorz because two players of a similar style should not open together,” Reema said.
She also discussed the team’s batting options involving Phoebe Litchfield, Harleen Deol and Deepti Sharma, arguing that the franchise needed a more attacking option at the top.
According to Reema, promoting Litchfield to open and moving Rawal to number three would not necessarily solve the problem, given the playing styles of the batters coming later in the order.
“So, UP Warriorz need an Indian opener who bats aggressively and has that attacking intent from the first ball. Apart from that, between Harleen and Deepti, you need one more big hitter,” she said.
UP Warriorz have released several players ahead of the auction, including batters Kiran Navgire and Shweta Sehrawat, wicketkeeper Amy Jones, all-rounders Deandra Dottin and Chloe Tryon, and leg-spinner Asha Sobhana.
Reema also highlighted the importance of recruiting an Indian wicketkeeper, identifying G. Kamalini as a potential target.
Although Litchfield can keep wickets, Reema said having an Indian wicketkeeping option would give the franchise greater flexibility.
“Yes, Phoebe Litchfield can keep wickets, but having an Indian wicketkeeping option is always beneficial, and someone like G. Kamalini would be a perfect option for UPW,” she said.
Beyond addressing specific positions, Reema stressed that UP Warriorz needed to establish a settled core around captain Meg Lanning and avoid frequent changes to their squad.
She questioned why the franchise had repeatedly entered auctions with the biggest purse, arguing that this reflected difficulties in identifying and retaining the right combination of players.
“When you have the biggest purse for three years continuously, that means that your think tank is still not able to pick the right players. Along with head coach Abhishek Nayar, the scouting team will also be under pressure to identify the right players to help settle the team,” she said.
Reema cited Gujarat Giants as an example of a franchise that addressed its weaknesses last season. She urged UP Warriorz to identify players who could contribute consistently and complement Lanning’s leadership.
She also emphasised the need to use the auction purse wisely and back the players selected rather than repeatedly changing the combination.
“If they keep chopping and changing, they will never find the stability a franchise needs to win titles,” she added.
The WPL 2027 season is scheduled to take place from January 14 to February 7.
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