Mumbai: The UP Warriorz, led by the prolific Alyssa Healy, are eyeing their second win on the trot as they are set to face high-flyers Mumbai Indians in a highly-anticipated clash in their next game of the inaugural edition of the Women’s Premier League. The two star-studded squads will meet at the iconic Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on 12th March 2023, with the game set to tee-off at 7.30pm IST.
The UP Warriorz began their campaign with a stellar win against Gujarat Giants in their first ever game at the WPL. A phenomenal performance by Grace Harris and Kiran Navgire against Gujarat Giants guided the Warriorz past the Adani owned franchise at the DY Patil Stadium in the opener.
Right after the opening game, the UP Warriorz went up against the Delhi Capitals at the DY Patil Stadium in a high-scoring game. While the result of that did not turn out in the UP Warriorz’s favour, Tahlia McGrath showed her class as she scored a blistering unbeaten 90 runs from 50 deliveries as she smashed 11 boundaries and 4 sixes, which was a valiant effort but added to the entertainment value of the game.
In their most recent game, UP Warriorz decimated the Royal Challengers Bangalore who are yet to win a game in the WPL. But the UP Warriorz were flawless against Bangalore and defeated them comfortably. Royal Challengers Bangalore were put into bat first and were bowled out for a competitive total of 138, thanks to an effective performance by Sophie Eccelstone with the ball as she picked up 4 wickets while being extremely economical. The UP Warriorz chased the total with ease within 13 overs without losing a single wicket, Captain Alyssa Healy led from the front with the bat as she put in an explosive performance during her sublime knock of 96 runs off 47 balls.
“Since the time we played our first game, we have been playing as a unit whether we win or lose. We will always play as a team. Even during team meetings, it is discussed that we should have each other’s back no matter what the situation is. These are all small things but all this combined, helps a lot in a T20 tournament like this. Mumbai have been playing well but I trust my team. The last two matches that we played; shows the potential we have. We will play our natural game against Mumbai Indians in the upcoming game. Now we are focusing on our abilities and our strategy.” , said UP Warriorz Vice-Captain Deepti Sharma, while talking about how the squad is gearing up for the clash against Mumbai Indians.
Deepti went on to talk about, “Whenever we are batting first, we always try to take our innings to the last ball. We back each other and have faith in each other’s abilities. The coaching and support staff are always motivating us and have been giving constant support to us. We never ever give up. Before going into the game, our mindset is that we have to win this game. Having a positive mindset is essential, something that would be pivotal against a strong Mumbai Indians side.”
The UP Warriorz having started the tournament with some emblematic individual performances in the first three games, will be looking to end their opponents winning streak in the tournament. Mumbai Indians, under the guidance of Harmanpreet Kaur are yet to taste defeat in the WPL and will be wary of the talented game-changers in the UP squad going into this game.
However, the superb performance by Alyssa Healy and co, against Royal Challengers Bangalore will fill them with a lot of confidence for the game against Mumbai Indians at the Brabourne Stadium, which is set to be a thriller.
Come Sunday, the Warriorz will no doubt roar again as they say Uttar dega against MI.
UP Warriorz Squad: Alyssa Healy (Captain), Sophie Ecclestone, Deepti Sharma, Tahlia McGrath, Shabnim Ismail, Anjali Sarvani, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Parshavi Chopra, Shweta Sehrawat, S Yashasri, Kiran Navgire, Grace Harris, Devika Vaidya, Lauren Bell, Simran Shaikh, Shivali Shinde.
