In a thrilling opener to UP Warriorz campaign, 22-year-old Phoebe Litchfield lit up DY Patil Stadium with a maiden WPL half-century of 78 off 40 balls (8 fours, 5 sixes), spearheading UP Warriorz’s bold chase of 208. Despite falling 10 runs short in a nail-biter, the Gujarat Giants won by 10 runs on January 10, 2026. Litchfield’s post-match press conference revealed her maturity, unpacking the game’s fine margins, her unorthodox evolution, and life under new skipper Meg Lanning.
Litchfield, switching from Gujarat Giants to UP Warriorz, faced her former side with fearless intent at No. 3. Her knock nearly engineered a record chase, backed by Shweta Sehrawat’s 25 off 17 and Asha Sobhana’s explosive 27* off 10. Yet, Georgia Wareham’s Player of the Match haul (27* off 10 & 2/30) and skipper Ashleigh Gardner’s 65 off 41 sealed the Giants’ highest WPL total of 207/4 after a fiery start from Sophie Devine (38 off 20) and debutant Anushka Sharma (44 off 30).
Reflecting on the chase’s collapse, Litchfield pinpointed pressure-building dots as the turning point. “Yeah, it was definitely chaseable. I think there were a couple of moments where just they were just able to string a couple of dot balls together, when that builds, that builds pressure and usually wickets,” she said, adding that a powerplay flyer might have eased the required rate from 10 to 12 an over. She also nodded to bowling lapses, with Sophie Ecclestone’s 2/32 (including Gardner and Beth Mooney) unable to fully stem the Giants’ flow.
Litchfield’s growth shone through in her shot selection insights, blending natural power with field manipulation. “It’s purely about finding my way to score, and it probably doesn’t look as conventional, but I know how to manipulate the field, and I’m finding scoring quicker, easier each year,” she explained, crediting gym work and timing for her unexpected sixes on boundaries she called “too small for most of us.” Her versatility extended to wicketkeeping, considered amid squad shortages but sidelined by a knee niggle, with praise for Shweta’s stand-in efforts.
Under Lanning’s steady hand, Litchfield thrives in a lineup brimming with aggression. “Meg is so calm, composed, and, I guess, really concise. She just gets the job done and has fun in the process,” she lauded, highlighting the “versatility and so much firepower” from top to bottom that fueled their near upset. On the flat DY Patil pitch, “pretty flat to be fair, 200 was definitely par”, Litchfield embraced No. 3’s powerplay taste and middle-overs challenge.
As UP Warriorz gear up for Royal Challengers Bengaluru on January 12 at the same venue, Litchfield’s fire signals big things ahead in WPL 2026.
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