“You could call it home advantage, but you could also call it home disadvantage.” The UP Warriorz coach Jon Lewis gives his take on the home and away conditions debate ahead of their opening encounter against RCB.
The 2nd edition of the tournament will be played in a couple of cities this time around, unlike the Inaugural edition which was completely played across two venues in Mumbai. The first half (23rd February 2024 to 4th March 2024, match 1-match 11) will be played at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore, and the 2nd half of the season (5th March 2024 to 17th March 2024, match 12- match 20th) including the eliminator and the final will be played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
The UP Warriorz, which was a totally new franchise, appointed Alyssa Healy as the skipper of the franchise. Alyssa Healy and Co. displayed an impressive performance as they managed to make it to the eliminator stage. However, they were knocked out by Mumbai Indians courtesy of their 72-run defeat. The UP Warriorz released a few players and infused a mix of experience and youth in the batting department with the inclusion of the likes of Danni Wyatt, Chamari Athapaththu, Vrinda Dinesh, etc. for the upcoming edition of the tournament.
“Keeping in mind a batting-friendly pitch that will be made full use of by captain Healy and fellow Aussie Grace Harris, Sri Lanka’s Chamari Athapaththu, and England’s Danni Wyatt. Our batting group is incredibly strong. My hope is that our local players will try and contribute to that batting line-up. And if they do, we have got an exciting side.” The UP Warriorz head coach Jon Lewis expects the local players to step up alongside the likes of Chamari Athapaththu, Danni Wyatt, and Grace Harris to form a team to beat in the upcoming edition of the WPL.
The UP Warriorz will kickstart their campaign for the 2nd edition of the WPL on 24th February 2024 when they will come up against the Royal Challengers Bangalore led by skipper Smriti Mandhana. RCB had a season to forget last time around, having suffered five straight losses to start their campaign. However, they would be keen to bounce back strongly in the upcoming edition of the tournament. One of the factors that could work in their favor in their bid to make a strong statement in the battle for silverware is the fact that the matches in the 1st half of the season will be played in front of their home crowd at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.
“ Well I suppose all the pressure will be on RCB, won’t it be? Because no one will expect us to win. We are a little UP(side) and we are going to go in and put in a fighting performance against what is a massive franchise on home turf. You could call it home advantage but you could also call it home disadvantage.” The UP Warriorz head coach Jon Lewis speaks about being the underdogs and the venue and the conditions on offer being a double-edged sword for the home side.
(Quotes sourced from Deccan Herald)