New Delhi, Nov 27 (NationPress) The director of cricket for UP Warriorz, Kshemal Waingankar, stated that it is currently "too early to determine" who will take on the captaincy for the forthcoming WPL season. This comes after the team successfully reacquired Deepti Sharma and welcomed the renowned multi-time World Cup-winning captain Meg Lanning.

During the major auction held in New Delhi, Deepti, who was named Player of the Tournament in the recent Women’s ODI World Cup, emerged as the joint second-most expensive player in WPL auction history when UP Warriorz exercised their Right to Match (RTM) card to bring her back for INR 3.2 crore. The team also secured Meg Lanning for INR 1.9 crore.

“We will have discussions regarding the captaincy. Right now, it's premature to say anything. It relies on how the squad shapes up, and we need to talk with Deepti to understand the leadership dynamics. We haven't finalized that yet,” Waingankar remarked.

He further added, “We anticipated the price range we encountered. As you noticed, we aimed for Amelia Kerr, but her price soared to three crores. This reflects the premium paid for high-caliber spin bowling all-rounders, and there’s no doubt we wanted her back.”

When questioned about the lack of retention for Deepti previously, Waingankar explained, “There were specific dynamics involved in the entire auction and retention processes. With Abhishek now in charge, we wanted to offer him a clean slate to establish his vision and collaboratively build the squad.”

“We were confident we could bring Deepti back, which we have, and we are thrilled to secure her return. Additionally, we have managed to bring back Sophie Devine and integrate a leader like Meg Lanning into our team. So far, things seem to be progressing well; let’s see how the auction unfolds further.”

Michael Klinger, head coach of the Gujarat Giants, expressed satisfaction with their acquisition of New Zealand all-rounder Sophie Devine for INR 2 crore and Indian pacer Renuka Singh Thakur for INR 60 lakh.

“This adds eight overs of high-quality bowling experience since both are World Cup winners. Renuka can provide a robust start with the new ball, while Sophie has the versatility to bowl in all phases and bat anywhere from positions one to six. These two picks were crucial for us in terms of offering flexibility, and now we will see how things develop in the upcoming sets,” he commented.