Former India cricketer Reema Malhotra has urged UP Warriorz to prioritise an attacking Indian opener at the WPL 2027 auction in Kochi on 28 October, warning that the franchise's current top-order composition lacks the intent needed to score quick runs at the start of an innings. UP Warriorz head into the auction with the largest purse in the competition — ₹3.65 crore — and seven slots to fill, including two overseas positions.

The Opening Problem

Reema's central concern revolves around the retained batter Pratika Rawal and the overlap in playing styles at the top of the order. '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,' she said.

The dilemma deepens further down the order. Reema noted that moving Phoebe Litchfield to open and pushing Pratika to number three does not resolve the issue either, given that Harleen Deol and Deepti Sharma — both with comparable approaches to Pratika — follow at numbers four and five. '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 added.

Key Targets Identified

Beyond the opening slot, Reema highlighted the need for a dedicated Indian wicketkeeper, naming G. Kamalini as an ideal candidate. '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. The franchise has headed into this auction having released a significant number of players, including batter Kiran Navgire, batter Shweta Sehrawat, wicketkeeper Amy Jones, all-rounders Deandra Dottin and Chloe Tryon, and leg-spinner Asha Sobhana.

Structural Instability Under Scrutiny

UP Warriorz have finished at the bottom of the WPL standings in consecutive seasons, and Reema pointed to repeated squad overhauls as a root cause. '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 held up Gujarat Giants as a model worth emulating — a franchise that diagnosed its weaknesses and addressed them decisively in one auction cycle. She urged UP Warriorz to demonstrate similar faith in their picks rather than cycling through players season after season. 'If they keep chopping and changing, they will never find the stability a franchise needs to win titles,' she said.

Looking Ahead to WPL 2027

The WPL 2027 season is scheduled to run from 14 January to 7 February. With the auction just days away, how the Warriorz deploy their record purse — and whether they can identify the aggressive batting template Reema describes — will be the clearest indicator yet of whether the franchise has learned from two underwhelming campaigns.