WPL 2026: 'Testament of what a team player is' - Abhishek Nayar lauds Harleen Deol after UP Warriorz' maiden win

Putting an end to all the air surrounding the rift between Harleen Deol and Abhishek Nayar, the UP Warriorz duo came forward and spoke their heart out following the team's win against Mumbai Indians Women in the Match No. 8 of the Women's Premier League 2026 in Navi Mumbai. Harleen, who was asked to retire herself out by Nayar in the previous match, returned to the ground and changed her fate in a span of less than 24 hours.

After her unbeaten 64 off 39 against the defending champions, Harleen earned massive praises from her head coach. Nayar also explained what the idea behind retiring the star batter out in the previous encounter, and how it reflected the team's tactical moves. The coach further lauded the right-handed batter for her understanding of the team's requirements, and how it shows her maturity as a player.

“When we had the timeout, the thought process was, before we started, we thought about roles that we thought people need to play. Whenever you make a move, you're always thinking as the team being the forefront of it. Harleen, we felt, had done a job at that time. We had power. And we thought if in that phase we could get those extra 30–40 runs, it was just that mindset that we felt those roles were created for those particular players,” Nayar told WPL after the match.

“All she thinks and breathes is the team. Her core focus has always been what the team requires. That always helps when every player believes in the team ethos. Harleen is a testament of what a team player is,” Nayar added confidently.

Harleen dedicates first win to Nayar and skipper Meg Lanning

The Chandigarh-born looked a different player from her previous outings of the season, and it meant that she got her side their maiden points on the table. Commenting on how the wicket was easier to bat than in the game against Delhi Capitals, the 27-year-old was more than keen to finish the job for the Warriorz. She dedicated the first win of the season to skipper Meg Lanning and head coach Nayar.

“Actually, wicket was different yesterday and wicket was different today. I just wanted to play long because starting, I got a lot of boundaries. I got that tempo. And I just wanted to keep carrying that forward. I got that. And the wicket was really nice to bat on. So I just wanted to finish it off,” Harleen said.

“Like today, the wicket was a lot better [to bat]. So, to understand that was the key for me today. Because I know that, you know, they have good pace bowlers. Like, which bowler I could take the attack against. So that was the only thing which I did today. Nothing else. First win [of the season] for Meg Lanning and Mr. Abhishek Nayar,” she concluded. 

Harleen will next play for the Warriorz on Saturday, January 17, when the side takes on the Harmanpreet Kaur-led MI in a reverse fixture at the same venue. She will be confident of pulling off a similar performance and get the team to their second victory of the season before the action moves onto the second leg in Vadodara.