3 reasons why UP Warriorz signing Chamari Athapaththu for WPL 2024 is the wrong move
UP Warriorz suffered a big blow ahead of WPL 2024 with their star pacer Lauren Bell pulling out of the upcoming season due to personal reasons. The franchise picked up Sri Lankan all-rounder Chamari Athapaththu as a replacement for Bell for the WPL season.
This will be the first time that Athapaththu will play in the WPL, as she was unsold in the 2023 WPL auctions.
On that note, here are three reasons why UP Warriorz signing Chamari Athapaththu for WPL 2024 is the wrong move.
#1 Chamari Athapaththu is not a like-for-like replacement for Lauren Bell
Athapaththu replaces Lauren Bell for WPL 2024. While Lauren Bell is a pacer, Athapaththu is a batting all-rounder who bowls off-spin.
Bell has tasted considerable success in her brief WT20I career. In 14 matches, she has picked up 18 wickets at an exceptional average of 18.94. She was picked up in the auction for her pace skills, and her absence could be a big blow for the franchise.
Athapaththu, though an experienced player, is not a like-for-like replacement for Bell, and UP Warriorz will miss Bell's pace bowling skills in the WPL 2024.
#2 Does not boast of a good strike rate and average in WT20Is
Athapaththu has been one of the mainstays for Sri Lanka Women in the top order in recent times. She averages a healthy 34.26 in WODIs with the bat.
However, as far as WT20Is are concerned, Athapaththu has an ordinary average of 22.65 with the bat in 120 innings. She has a strike rate of 106.20 and, at times, fails to force the pace of the game.
With all due respect, Athapaththu is one of the best players to have played women's cricket for Sri Lanka.
However, she was unsold in the first edition of the WPL, was unsold even during the WPL auction 2024, and has only been included as a replacement for Bell.
#3 Could struggle to find a place in the playing 11
UP Warriorz can field only four overseas players (5 in the case of a player from an Associate Nation) in the playing X1.
Alyssa Healy, Tahila McGrath, Dani Wyatt, and Sophie Ecclestone, in all probabilities, will be the four overseas players to play for UP Warriorz in the WPL 2024. It will be difficult for the franchise to accommodate Chamari Athapaththu in the playing X1.
A player of the caliber of Athapaththu needs to be drafted into the playing X1 if she is a part of the squad. However, she was not the first-choice player and was unsold in the auctions.
With the abundance of riches that UP Warriorz has in the squad with the overseas players, it could be difficult for her to find a place in the playing X1.