India's ace all-rounder Deepti Sharma to lead UP Warriorz in Season 3 of WPL

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], February 9 (ANI): The UP Warriorz are all geared up for Season 3 of the Women's Premier League (WPL), and have named a new captain. India's ace all-rounder Deepti Sharma, one of the mainstays of the UP Warriorz squad, was announced as captain, by the former India cricketer Suresh Raina, who also hails from Uttar Pradesh, as stated in a release from the franchise.
Deepti, who was born in Agra in Uttar Pradesh, will be the first UP Warriorz captain to lead the team out at their home stadium - the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. For the first time in WPL, the Captain announcement was done live on broadcast during the Amul cricket live show just ahead of India's ODI against England.
Season 3 of the WPL marks the first time that the tournament will come to Lucknow, the home ground for the UP Warriorz, who will also be led by a cricketer from the home state. At the Ekana Cricket Stadium, the UP Warriorz will play the Gujarat Giants (March 3), Mumbai Indians (March 6) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (March 8).
Deepti, who bats left-handed and is one of the best off-break bowlers in the women's game, has been an integral part of the UP Warriorz set-up since Season 1. For the newly appointed captain, Season 2 of the WPL was particularly memorable from a personal point of view as she became the first Indian bowler to take a hat-trick in the WPL, against the Delhi Capitals, before going on to receive the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award for the season as well.
She has played 17 games for the UP Warriorz, scoring 385 runs in 16 innings, with three half-centuries to her name, along with a highest score of 88 not out. With the ball, Deepti has picked 19 wickets throughout the 17 games. That apart, Deepti was a crucial part of the London Spirit side, who won The Hundred in 2024. The India all-rounder has also played in the Women's Big Bash League, where she has represented the Melbourne Stars and the Sydney Thunder sides.
Deepti, who won the Asia Cup title with India in 2022, was also part of the squad that finished runners-up in the Women's T20 World Cup in 2020 in Australia. In the India colours, the 27-year-old has played 124 T20Is, scoring 1086 runs from 79 innings, with two fifties to her name, and a highest score of 64.
With the ball, she has picked up 138 wickets and is the highest wicket-taker in T20Is for the Indian women's team. That apart, Deepti also became the first Indian across the men's and women's game to take 100 T20I wickets. She achieved this milestone during the 2023 Women's T20 World Cup.
Earlier in the first two seasons of the WPL, UP Warriorz, who were captained by the Australian Alyssa Healy made the playoffs in the first season.
Speaking on the appointment, Deepti Sharma said that it was an honour for her to be named captain of the UP Warriorz.
"I am delighted and honoured to be named captain of the UP Warriorz, which is a team from my home state. The UP Warriorz has a fantastic squad, and we are confident that we will entertain our fans with the Warriorz brand of cricket, at the WPL this season as well. We can't wait to play in Lucknow in front of our home fans, and hope to inspire the next generation of women athletes," Deepti was quoted in a release from UP Warriorz as saying.
The UP Warriorz open their WPL Season 3 campaign against the Gujarat Giants on February 16 in Vadodara. (ANI)