WPL 2024: UP Warriorz' strongest predicted playing XI against Royal Challengers Bangalore

The second edition of the Women's Premier League (WPL) 2024 began on Friday, February 23, at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The defending champions, the Mumbai Indians, faced the Delhi Capitals, the first-edition runner-up, in the tournament opener. 

In the inaugural Women's Premier League (WPL), UP Warriorz (UP-W) qualified for the playoffs after playing an aggressive style of cricket under skipper, Alyssa Healy. In the WPL 2024 auction, their finest buy was England's stalwart Danni Wyatt. They will play their opening encounter of the WPL 2024 against Royal Challengers Bangalore in Bengaluru on Saturday, February 24, 2024, and we take a look at the best and strongest UP-W playing XI for the match.

Here is UP Warriorz' strongest predicted playing XI against Royal Challengers Bangalore:

Openers: Alyssa Healy (WK/C), Shweta Sehrawat

Alyssa Healy looked fantastic as UP-W's skipper and lead batter in 2023. She scored 253 runs in nine matches with a strike rate of 141.34, finishing as the team's second-highest run-getter. UP will expect Healy to lead the team from the front in the forthcoming campaign.

Her partner is Shweta Sehrawat, who came into the limelight at the 2023 ICC Women's Under-19 T20 World Cup, where she was the highest run-getter in the tournament. She played 7 games in WPL 2023 and scored 34 runs. The WPL will be another step in the learning process for the talented youngster.

Batters: Tahlia McGrath, Kiran Navgire, Vrinda Dinesh, Grace Harris

Tahlia McGrath is one of the most memorable players. Last season, the Australian all-rounder scored 302 runs in nine matches, proving her exceptional all-round abilities and picked 2 wickets with the ball. 

Big-hitter Kiran Navgire and Vrinda Dinesh are expected to provide the propulsion that UP Warriorz may need in the death overs during the WPL 2024. Navgire hit 155 runs at a strike rate of 114.81 in 9 games. Dinesh, an uncapped young cricketer, is a rising talent looking to make a mark. Her explosive playing style and drive for success might give a much-needed spark at the top of the lineup.

Grace Harris was the star of the WPL 2023 for UP-W with 230 runs in 6 games with a strike rate of 165.36 and hit 2 fifties.

All-rounders: Deepti Sharma 

Star India all-rounder Deepti Sharma will be the face of the local players in the UP Warriorz. Deepti made 90 runs and picked 9 wickets in 9 games in WPL 2023. But this time much more will be expected from the experienced all-rounder.

Bowlers: Sophie Ecclestone, Anjali Sarvani, Parshavi Chopra, Rajeshwari Gayakwad

Sophie Ecclestone picked 16 wickets at an economy of 6.61 and also scored 70 runs with a strike rate of 120.69. She will form a deadly spin duo with Deepti Sharma for the UP-W. 

Anjali Sarvani will spearhead the UP-W pace attack and will want to do better as she had picked just 4 wickets in 9 matches in WPL 2023. Sarvani brings both pace and accuracy to the bowling department and is expected to trouble the opposition batters and provide crucial breakthroughs.

Parshavi Chopra picked 3 wickets in 4 games in WPL 2023. But in the second edition of the tournament, expect her to play a bigger role. Her ability to contribute with both bat and ball elevates her to a dynamic presence in the lower order, rounding out Warriorz's astute playing XI in WPL 2024.

The lead spinner for UP-W will be Rajeshwari Gayakwad, who picked 7 wickets in 8 matches in WPL 2023 at an economy of 8.20. In her T20I career, she has claimed 61 wickets in 55 innings at an average of 19.13 and an economy of 6.15 and will be a key player for UP-W in this WPL season.

UP Warriorz' strongest predicted playing XI:

Alyssa Healy (C), Shweta Sehrawat, Tahlia McGrath, Deepti Sharma, Grace Harris, Kiran Navgire, Vrinda Dinesh, Sophie Ecclestone, K Anjali Sarvani, Parshavi Chopra, Rajeshwari Gayakwad