"Getting Alyssa Healy at 70 lakhs is the steal of this auction" - Abhinav Mukund on UP Warriorz's squad after WPL Auction 2023
Abhinav Mukund feels that the UP Warriorz's acquisition of Alyssa Healy for ₹70 lakh was the best bargain deal of the Women's Premier League (WPL) Auction 2023.
Healy was among the six overseas players bought by the Warriorz at the auction in Mumbai on Monday, February 13. The UP-based franchise spent the entire available purse of ₹12 crore to assemble a full-strength 18-member squad.
During a discussion on Sports 18, Mukund was asked about his thoughts on the UP Warriorz's squad, to which he replied:
"They have got a fantastic side. I would think getting Alyssa Healy at 70 lakhs is the steal of this auction. Considering the amount of money that a lot of the Indian players went for, getting Tahlia McGrath at 1.4 crores and Alyssa Healy at 70 lakhs, I think they have done a really, really good job with their overseas."
'Heal'a dala! 🧨
One more in the pack, Tabadtod opener Australia ki Alyssa Healy comes to UP 🔥
#WPLAuction #UPWarriorz #WPL https://t.co/m3UTY21xZN
The former Indian opener highlighted that apart from a backup seam-bowling option for Shabnim Ismail, the Warriorz acquired a big-hitting middle-order batter in the form of Grace Harris, observing:
"They have got a good backup for Shabnim Ismail as well. Their Indian players look solid. Grace Harris is a great addition lower down in the auction, which they again got for 75 lakhs."
The Warriorz bought England seamer Lauren Bell for just ₹30 lakh towards the end of the auction. Their first overseas pick was Sophie Ecclestone, the top-ranked bowler in the ICC Women's T20I rankings.
"They had a better auction than the Gujarat Giants" - Abhinav Mukund on the UP Warriorz
Mukund reckons the Warriorz did better than the Gujarat Giants at the auction, stating:
"I felt apart from the first three picks (Ecclestone, Deepti Sharma and McGrath), they didn't overspend too much. I thought, for a new franchise, they had a better auction than the Gujarat Giants."
The cricketer-turned-analyst concluded by giving the Warriorz a rating of eight on a scale of 10, explaining:
"I like their Indian base as well. - Deepti Sharma, they have got Anjali Sarvani - the left-arm seamer, Rajeshwari Gayakwad comes in, and late in the day they got Kiran Navgire and Shweta Sehrawat. I like the look of this team and a successful head coach in Jon Lewis. I will go 8 out of 10 again for the UP Warriorz."
Here is UP Warriorz’ strongest XI for WPL 2023 🏏
What changes will you make? 🤔
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Apart from the aforementioned players, the UP Warriorz also acquired Devika Vaidya at ₹1.4 crore. They have a formidable mix of Indian and overseas players and will fancy their chances of going all the way in the inaugural edition of the tournament.