UP Warriorz, led by skipper Meg Lanning, entered the clash against the two-time champions Mumbai Indians, led by skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, on 15th January 2026, in a do-or-die territory, playoffs hopes on the line with a hat-trick of defeats to open their campaign in Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026.
UP Warriorz had an ideal start to the game as their skipper Meg Lanning won the coin toss and opted to bowl first at the DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai. An impressive outing for Amanjot Kaur (40 off 26 balls) at number 3 in the run chase against Gujarat Giants resulted in a further promotion for the rising all-rounder as she stepped out to open the innings alongside Gunalan Kamalini in the absence of a rested Hayley Matthews.
The move worked out well as she chipped in with a constructive innings of 38 (33 balls) en route to their 43-run opening stand before being dismissed by Deepti Sharma in the 8th over of the innings to provide the first breakthrough for the Warriorz. Returning to the side, Nat Sciver-Brunt resumed from where she left off, holding the innings together for her side. Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur chipped in with another cameo (16 off 11 balls). Nicola Carey (32* off 20) provided the finishing touches to push the Mumbai Indians’ total past the 150-run mark, as they ended up with 161/5 in their quota of 20 overs.
Chasing a target of 162, Kiran Navgire (10 off 12 balls) displayed promising glimpses of her growing confidence opening the innings alongside Meg Lanning (25 off 26 balls). The Capitals lost both their openers in the 7th over of the innings. Out walked Harleen Deol at number 4 with a point to prove, after being made to retire out three short of her well-deserved half-century in the game against the Delhi Capitals in the final three overs of the innings.
She delivered a bold statement innings filled with grit and determination, to eventually guide her side over the line with 7 wickets in hand and 11 balls to spare. The UP Warriorz registered their 1st win of the ongoing 4th edition of the tournament to keep their playoff hopes alive. Harleen Deol registered her 3rd WPL half-century (64*) and was awarded the Player of the Match.
Top Performers: UP Warriorz vs Mumbai Indians
Nat Sciver-Brunt
The England all-rounder returned to the side after missing out against Gujarat Giants due to illness. Coming in at number 3, Nat Sciver-Brunt revived the Mumbai Indians innings by stitching a crucial 29-run partnership for the 3rd wicket, alongside skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, followed by another massive 85-run partnership for the 4th wicket, pushing the total past the 150-run mark. Nat Sciver-Brunt registered her record-equalling 10th half-century in the WPL (65 off 43 balls). Her knock included 9 boundaries and a maximum. She was also impressive in her spell of 3-0-28-2 with the ball, removing both the UP Warriorz openers Kiran Navgire and skipper Meg Lanning in the 7th over of the run chase.
Nicola Carey
The 32-year-old Australian all-rounder Nicola Carey has continued to add more chapters to her fairytale WPL debut. She chipped in with another finishing blitz 32* (20 balls) with the bat, in the first innings, providing the impetus to breach the 150-run mark. Her knock included 5 boundaries, scoring at a strike rate of 160. Besides her cameo with the bat, she was also the stand-out performer (3-0-19-0) with the ball for her side in the game. She is also currently the 3rd highest run-scorer for Mumbai Indians with 131 runs at a strike rate of 155.95 and an average of 65.50 in four innings with the bat for her side this season. She is also currently the 2nd highest wicket-taker for the side with 6 wickets at an average of 21.16 and an economy of 8.46 in 4 innings with the ball.
Harleen Deol
The 27-year-old Indian World Cup winning middle-order batter Harleen Deol scripted one of the most remarkable redemptions in a span of less than 24 hours. She was being asked to retire out by the UP Warriorz head coach, Abhishek Nayar, in the game against Delhi Capitals on 14th January 2026, with the batter just 3 runs short of her well-deserved half-century, with three overs to go in the first innings against the Delhi Capitals. The Warriorz lost that game by 7 wickets after posting a total of 154/8.
However, the UP Warriorz are chasing a total of 162, this time around against the Mumbai Indians. The Warriorz restricted Mumbai to 161/5 in their quota of overs after Meg Lanning won the toss and opted to bowl first. Harleen Deol came in at number four with her side at 45/2 in the 7th over of the run chase, needing a move on. She delivered with an impressive match-winning, unbeaten half-century 64* (39 balls) to guide her side over the line with 7 wickets in hand and 11 balls to spare.
UP Warriorz registered their first win of the ongoing 4th edition of the WPL, after a hat-trick of defeats to start their campaign. Her knock included 12 boundaries. Harleen Deol was awarded the Player of the Match. Harleen Deol stitched a vital 73-run partnership for the 3rd wicket alongside Phoebe Litchfield, followed by another quick-fire 44-run partnership for the 4th wicket alongside Chloe Tryon to guide UP Warriorz over the line. Chloe Tryon was the player who replaced Harleen Deol at the crease in their previous game against the Delhi Capitals.
Chloe Tryon
The experienced power-packed all-rounder had a dramatic WPL debut against the Gujarat Giants. She departed for 1 (3 balls) after being trusted by the head coach, Abhishek Nayar, to replace a distraught and stunned Harleen Deol at the crease to provide the finishing touches to the innings. She bounced back in style, partnering Harleen Deol this time around in a run chase. Her blazing cameo 27* (11 balls) towards the backend en route to a crucial 44-run partnership for the 4th wicket to guide UP Warriorz to their first win of the season. Her knock included 4 boundaries and a maximum, scoring at an astonishing strike rate of 245.45. She had a forgettable outing with the ball as she was smashed for 16 runs in her only over in the game.
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