Former India cricketer Veda Krishnamurthy has backed Deepti Sharma to lead UP Warriorz in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2027, suggesting that the franchise should consider an Indian player for the captaincy role.
Veda believes Deepti’s four-year association with the team makes her a strong candidate, while former Australia captain Meg Lanning could provide guidance and support.
Speaking on JioStar’s ‘Match Centre Live Auction Special’, Veda also pointed out that appointing an Indian captain would give UP Warriorz greater flexibility in selecting their overseas combination.
UPW Picked Key Players In Auction
UP Warriorz entered the WPL 2027 auction with the biggest purse and made several notable additions, including Sophie Molineux, Grace Harris, Sneh Rana, Sushma Verma and Kathryn Bryce.
The franchise’s captaincy options and overseas combination were among the key talking points during the discussion featuring former cricketers and experts Veda Krishnamurthy, Abhinav Mukund and Anjum Chopra.
“I am a big fan of having an Indian player as captain. That solves a lot of problems when you talk about the overseas combination. When you have Deepti Sharma, who has been there for four years, I honestly feel it is time for UP Warriorz to think in that direction. They can say that Deepti is the captain,” Veda told JioStar.
She added that Lanning could play a mentoring role rather than necessarily leading the side, allowing the franchise to pick its strongest possible playing XI without having to accommodate an overseas captain.
“You always have Meg Lanning there, who can probably guide her. It doesn’t have to be Meg Lanning as captain. It can be Deepti Sharma as captain, with Meg Lanning helping her along. That probably solves a lot of problems because then you can look at the best possible options you would want in your playing XI,” she added.
Abhinav Mukund On UPW Securing Grace Harris
Meanwhile, Abhinav Mukund felt UP Warriorz had secured a bargain by signing Grace Harris at her base price. He pointed out that Harris had been unfortunate to miss out on a place in a championship-winning side following the return of Ellyse Perry, which affected her auction value.
“I don’t think that’s the value for someone like Grace Harris. In fact, if another team had decent money, even Molineux would have gone for much more. Grace Harris is a great pick and she will be back to batting in the middle order for UP Warriorz,” Abhinav said.
Anjum Chopra On UPW’s Overseas Players
Anjum Chopra, however, highlighted the selection dilemma that the franchise could face while finalising its four overseas players. With Phoebe Litchfield, Meg Lanning and Sophie Ecclestone already in the squad, the additions of Molineux and Harris have given UP Warriorz several options but also created a challenge in finding the right balance.
Anjum noted that Litchfield, Lanning and Ecclestone were automatic selections in her assessment, leaving the franchise with an important decision over its remaining overseas spot. She also questioned how UP Warriorz would accommodate both Sophie Ecclestone and Sophie Molineux in the same XI.
“If you look at UP Warriorz, they are unsure about what combination will actually work for them because imagine Meg Lanning walking out for the toss and Sophie Molineux not being in the playing XI. That would be very strange,” Anjum said.
The former India captain also praised UP Warriorz’s decision to bring in Sneh Rana, who will represent her fourth franchise in five WPL seasons. She felt the experienced all-rounder could provide valuable support to Sophie Ecclestone in the bowling department.
“Sneh Rana is vastly experienced now. She has come a long way, and UP Warriorz have said that they definitely need an experienced bowler to accompany Sophie Ecclestone. At the end of the day, a player like Sneh Rana knows she is not the top draw because all the big bucks go to those kinds of players. But she is one of those players who can make a difference,” Anjum said.
She further backed Rana’s ability to deliver consistently, pointing to her previous stints with Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
“I feel she still has so much time left to play international cricket, and she is of great value. It’s just that sometimes we put a stamp on certain players and say they are not suited for T20 cricket, or that they are suited for it, but then they are not able to deliver. Sneh Rana, however, delivers on most occasions,” she added.
With several experienced players in their ranks, UP Warriorz have strengthened their options ahead of the 2027 season. However, deciding on the captaincy and settling on the right overseas combination will be crucial as the franchise looks to put together a competitive playing XI.
