On Saturday, Deepti Sharma, a prominent Indian all-rounder, was declared the Vice-Captain of UP Warriorz for the inaugural edition of the Women's Premier League (WPL). Deepti was one of the most sought-after players during the inaugural player auction, and she managed to bag six wickets in five matches as India reached the semifinals of the 2023 Women's T20 World Cup in South Africa.
Hailing from Agra, Uttar Pradesh, Deepti expressed her happiness to be part of the UP Warriorz team. She said that she is looking forward to working with captain Alyssa Healy and the other senior players to make the team perform well and play some excellent cricket.
Deepti has played for various women's franchise cricket teams globally, including Western Storm (Kia Super League), Sydney Thunder (WBBL), Birmingham Phoenix, and London Spirit (both The Hundred). She has played 30 games in franchise cricket abroad, picked 32 wickets, and scored 394 runs. Deepti has also played for the Trailblazers and Velocity in the now-defunct Women's T20 Challenge in India.
Deepti made her T20I debut in 2016 and has played 92 games in T20Is. She is the leading wicket-taker for the Indian team, with 102 scalps to her name, and has scored close to 941 runs in T20Is with two half-centuries.
UP Warriorz, coached by England's Jon Lewis, has Anju Jain as the assistant coach, while former Australian cricketers Ashley Noffke and Lisa Sthalekar serve as the bowling coach and the team's mentor, respectively. The WPL's inaugural edition is scheduled to be played in Mumbai from March 4-26. The Brabourne Stadium and D.Y. Patil Stadium will host a total of 22 matches in the tournament. UP Warriorz will start their campaign on March 5 against the Gujarat Giants at the D.Y. Patil Stadium.
UP Warriorz Squad: Alyssa Healy (captain), Sophie Ecclestone, Deepti Sharma (vice-captain), Tahlia McGrath, Shabnim Ismail, Anjali Sarvani, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Parshavi Chopra, Shweta Sehrawat, S. Yashasri, Kiran Navgire, Grace Harris, Devika Vaidya, Lauren Bell, Laxmi Yadav, Simran Shaikh