As we count down to the highly anticipated 3rd edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL), defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru have made their third replacement announcement, with Kate Cross being the latest player to miss out this season. Meanwhile, UP Warriorz have also confirmed a replacement for Alyssa Healy.

Last month, the Challengers confirmed Charlie Dean as the replacement for the injured Sophie Molineux. Just days later, it was announced that Sophie Devine had decided to take a break from the game. It is now understood that Kate Cross, who is recovering from a back issue, is set to miss the upcoming WPL season, with the WPL media release citing “personal reasons” for her absence.
In like-for-like replacements, Australian all-rounder Heather Graham, who was part of the Mumbai Indians in the inaugural season, has been named as Sophie Devine’s replacement. Meanwhile, Australian pacer Kim Garth, who featured for the Gujarat Giants in the inaugural season, comes in for Kate Cross.
Garth, in her 51 Twenty20 International (T20I) outings, has scalped 49 wickets at an impressive economy rate of 6.17. She is also a useful contributor with the bat, having scored 764 runs from 47 innings. In WPL 2023, her only stint so far, she delivered a strong performance, claiming 11 wickets at an economy rate of 7.72 from seven matches for the Gujarat Giants, while also contributing with the bat on multiple occasions.
Another strong signing for the Challengers is Heather Graham, who famously claimed a T20I hat-trick against India. One of Australia’s top domestic talents and a consistent performer, Graham has struck 141 wickets from 130 outings in the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL), with an economy rate of 7.16. With the bat, she has accumulated 1,560 runs from 110 innings at a strike rate of 104.00.
Adding both flexibility and flair, the two all-round signings have bolstered the Challengers’ squad, which includes stars like Smriti Mandhana, Richa Ghosh, and Ellyse Perry, all of whom are focused on defending their title.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru squad for WPL 2025:
Smriti Mandhana (C), Sabbineni Meghana, Richa Ghosh, Ellyse Perry, Georgia Wareham, Shreyanka Patil, Asha Sobhana, Heather Graham, Renuka Singh, Charlie Dean, Ekta Bisht, Kim Garth, Kanika Ahuja, Danni Wyatt, Prema Rawat, Joshitha VJ, Raghvi Bist, Jagravi Pawar
On the other hand, UP Warriorz captain Alyssa Healy has been forced to withdraw from the upcoming WPL to fully recover from a series of injury setbacks she has recently faced. While the Warriorz have yet to announce their new captain, they have named West Indies all-rounder Chinelle Henry as her replacement.
A 111-international-game veteran, Henry has posted 1,032 runs and struck 54 wickets. In T20Is, she has 22 wickets to her name from 44 innings and 473 runs from 53 outings. Not signing a keeper-batter or an explosive opening batter in what would have been a like-for-like signing, the Warriorz have put a lot of responsibility on Chamari Athapaththu’s shoulders.
UP Warriorz squad for WPL 2025:
Chinelle Henry, Anjali Sarvani, Deepti Sharma, Grace Harris, Kiran Navgire, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Shweta Sehrawat, Sophie Ecclestone, Tahlia McGrath, Vrinda Dinesh, Saima Thakor, Poonam Khemnar, Gouher Sultana, Chamari Athapaththu, Uma Chetry, Arushi Goel, Kranti Goud, Alana King
The 2025 WPL season kicks off on February 14th in Vadodara, with games in Bengaluru, Lucknow, and Mumbai to follow. While inaugural champions Mumbai Indians fell short in their title defense during the Eliminator last season, as the Challengers staged an extraordinary comeback to win the title, it remains to be seen whether the WPL will crown a new champion for the third consecutive time or if the Challengers successfully defend their title or Mumbai reclaim it.

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