WPL 2025: Deepti Sharma Expresses Joy in Leading UP Warriorz

Synopsis

Deepti Sharma has been appointed as the captain of UP Warriorz for the 2025 Women's Premier League season. She expressed her happiness and pride in leading the team, aiming to inspire the next generation of women athletes, especially with her home state team.

Key Takeaways

Deepti Sharma is the new captain of UP Warriorz.
She is the fourth Indian captain in WPL history.
UP Warriorz aims to improve from last year's performance.
The team will play home games in Lucknow.
Deepti had a stellar performance in previous WPL seasons.

New Delhi, Feb 9 (NationPress) Following her appointment as the captain of the UP Warriorz for the 2025 season of the Women’s Premier League (WPL), India’s exceptional all-rounder Deepti Sharma expressed her feelings of joy and pride in taking on this leadership role.

The UP Warriorz were previously led by Australian captain Alyssa Healy during the first two WPL editions, achieving playoff status in the inaugural season of 2023. After a disappointing group-stage exit last year, the team aims to improve their performance this season under Deepti’s guidance, especially with Alyssa sidelined due to a persistent foot injury.

“I am thrilled and honored to be appointed as the captain of the UP Warriorz, a team from my home state. The UP Warriorz boasts a strong squad, and we are confident in our ability to captivate our fans with our brand of cricket during this WPL season. We eagerly anticipate playing in Lucknow before our home supporters and aspire to inspire the next wave of women athletes,” Deepti stated in a press release from the franchise on Sunday.

In the 2023 WPL season, she claimed nine wickets while scoring 90 runs. During WPL 2024, she scored 295 runs, positioning her as the fifth-highest run-scorer in the tournament, while also taking 10 wickets, including a remarkable hat-trick against Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. This achievement made Deepti the first Indian bowler to secure a hat-trick in WPL history, and she was also honored with the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award for that season.

“Deepti is among the most versatile and influential players in Indian cricket, and we are excited to have her captain the UP Warriorz this season. Her keen cricketing intellect, all-around talents, and poised leadership during tense moments make her the perfect captain for our team,” said team owner Jinisha Sharma.

“As a world-class match-winner and fierce competitor, Deepti has consistently demonstrated her capacity to change the course of a game. With her leadership, we trust that UP Warriorz will showcase bold, dynamic cricket that will make our fans proud,” Jinisha added.

Deepti, who comes from Agra in Uttar Pradesh, will be just the fourth Indian captain in WPL history, following Smriti, Harmanpreet Kaur, and Sneh Rana. The UP Warriorz will kick off their WPL 2025 journey against the Gujarat Giants at the BCA Stadium in Vadodara on February 16.

In WPL 2025, the UP Warriorz will also host their matches at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow, facing the Gujarat Giants (March 3), Mumbai Indians (March 6), and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (March 8).