Phoebe Litchfield Highlights UP Warriorz's Batting Strength Despite Narrow Loss

UP Warriorz's Versatile Batting Lineup Shines in WPL 2026

Navi Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], January 10: Star batter Phoebe Litchfield of UP Warriorz expressed confidence in her team's batting capabilities, emphasizing their versatility and power as they compete in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 season.

Her remarks followed a closely contested match where UP Warriorz faced a 10-run defeat against the Gujarat Giants at DY Patil Stadium on Saturday.

In the post-match press briefing, Litchfield praised the aggressive play of wicketkeeper-batter Shweta Sehrawat and Deandra Dottin, which allowed her and captain Meg Lanning to build their innings around them.

“Our batting lineup is incredibly versatile and powerful, both at the top and lower order. The goal is to go out there and score quickly while playing our shots. Shweta is an aggressive player from the first ball,” Litchfield stated, as reported by ESPNcricinfo.

“Her aggression enables Meg and me to play around her and others like Dottin. The key message is to back yourself, not leave any runs behind, and commit to scoring swiftly,” she added.

Litchfield noted that the pitch at DY Patil Stadium was generally flat, but she believed that a score of 200 was above par for this surface.

“It was quite flat overall. Some balls stayed low while others bounced unexpectedly, but it’s a good wicket, making it tough to defend. I think 200 was definitely a par score,” she remarked.

In the match, Litchfield's impressive 78 runs were not enough to secure a win for UP Warriorz, who ended their innings at 197/8, falling short of the 208-run target.

UP Warriorz faced an early setback when Kiran Navgire was dismissed for just one run in the first over by Renuka Singh, giving Gujarat Giants a strong start.

However, Lanning and Litchfield steadied the innings with a vital 70-run partnership, with Lanning contributing 30 runs off 27 balls before her dismissal. Unfortunately, UP Warriorz experienced a collapse in the middle overs.

Shweta Sehrawat joined Litchfield, and together they formed a crucial 69-run partnership. Sehrawat played steadily but was bowled by Rajeshwari Gayakwad after scoring 25 runs.

Litchfield, who was the backbone of the innings, was dismissed shortly after for a remarkable 78 runs off 40 balls, featuring eight fours and five sixes. Despite her efforts, UP Warriorz fell short by 10 runs.

On the bowling front, Renuka Singh was the standout performer for Gujarat Giants, taking 2 wickets for 25 runs in her four overs. Georgia Wareham and Sophie Devine also contributed significantly with two wickets each, while Ashleigh Gardner and Rajeshwari Gayakwad claimed one wicket each.

Earlier, Gujarat Giants, led by captain Ashleigh Gardner, set a formidable target of 207 runs against UP Warriorz. They reached 56/2 at the end of the powerplay, marking their third-best score in WPL history.

Gardner and Anushka Sharma stabilized the innings, reaching 90/2 in 10 overs. Gardner achieved her sixth WPL fifty during the 15th over, helping the Giants surpass the 150-run mark. She also became the player with the most fifty-plus scores for Gujarat Giants, surpassing Beth Mooney and Laura Wolvaardt.

In the 16th over, Deandra Dottin ended the 100-run partnership by dismissing Anushka, who scored 44 runs off 30 balls. Anushka's score is the highest by a Gujarat Giants player on WPL debut, surpassing the previous record of 34 runs.

In the final overs, Bharti Fulmali's unbeaten 14 and Georgia Wareham's explosive 27 not out helped Gujarat post a total of 207/4. Sophie Ecclestone (2/32), Deandra Dottin (1/47), and Shikha Pandey (1/29) were among the wicket-takers for UP Warriorz.

Brief scores: Gujarat Giants: 207/4 in 20 overs (Ashleigh Gardner 65, Anushka Sharma 44; Sophie Ecclestone 2/32) vs UP Warriorz 197/8 in 20 overs (Phoebe Litchfield 78, Meg Lanning 30; Renuka Singh 2/25).