3 things that went wrong for UP Warriorz in WPL 2024
UP Warriorz (UPW) ended the league stage of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2024 with an eight-run loss to Gujarat Giants (GG) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Monday, March 11.
Following the defeat, their chances of qualifying for the playoffs suffered a body blow. Even if Royal Challengers Bangalore go down to Mumbai Indians in their last league game, they look set to qualify on net run rate.
Bowling first after losing the toss, UP Warriorz did well to restrict Gujarat Giants to 152-8 despite Beth Mooney’s 74* off 52. However, their batting crumbled in stunning fashion, as they lost half their side in seven overs for only 35.
UPW made a splendid comeback courtesy of a superb sixth-wicket stand of 109* between Deepti Sharma (88* off 60) and Poonam Khemna (36* off 36). However, the early collapse hurt the chasing side, as they were restricted to 144-5.
As UPW reflect on a poor WPL 2024 campaign, we look at three things that have gone wrong for them in this year’s edition.
#1 Too much inconsistency in performance
UP Warriorz have had their moments in the tournament, but the consistency with regard to performances was just not there.
They have blown hot and cold right through WPL 2024. There was a hint of things to come in the first game when they went down to RCB by two runs in Bangalore after being in a dominant position in a chase of 158.
UP Warriorz were then hammered by nine wickets by Delhi Capitals in their second game. They fought back with thumping wins over Mumbai Indians (seven wickets) and Gujarat Giants (six wickets).
However, just when it seemed like they were hitting rhythm, UPW succumbed to defeats against Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians.
UPW came back from nowhere to stun Delhi Capitals by one run in their penultimate league game. However, in a crunch situation, they stumbled against Gujarat Giants in their last league game. Despite showing some promise, they never quite hit their stride.
#2 Big names in UPW’s batting department failed to deliver
One of the main reasons why UP Warriorz have failed to make a big impact in WPL 2024 has been because their big names, especially in the batting department, failed to deliver. Captain Alyssa Healy managed only 175 runs in eight innings at an average of 21.87 and a strike rate of 117.44. She crossed the half-century mark only once.
There were high hopes from the dangerous Grace Harris, but she too was not as consistent, but to be fair, the all-rounder played a few good knocks. The big-hitting Kiran Navgire hammered one half-century but had nothing else of note.
International stars like Chamari Athapaththu and Tahlia McGrath proved to be massive disappointments. While Athapaththu scored only 28 runs in four innings, McGrath managed a mere 27, also from four innings.
The bowlers did a much better job for UPW, but that has enough to dwarf the failures of the big names in batting.
#3 Overdependence on Deepti Sharma
With the other star performers in the team not firing, UP Warriorz have depended heavily on all-rounder Deepti Sharma to deliver the goods, and the experienced cricketer did a stellar job.
In fact, heading into Match 19 of WPL 2024, she's the leading run-getter in the edition, having slammed 295 runs in eight innings at an average of 98.33 and a strike rate of 136.57.
Deepti has smashed half-centuries in her last three innings. The versatile cricketer has also chipped in with the ball, claiming 10 wickets, including a hat-trick. Her performances deserved to come in winning causes, but UPW have been so heavily dependent on her to deliver that even her best efforts weren't enough.
Cricket is, after all, a team game, and UP Warriorz haven’t played it like one for the last few games. That's why they are in the position they find themselves in.