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Meg Lanning named UP Warriorz captain for WPL 2026; Deepti Sharma snubbed

Ritam

Meg Lanning & Smriti Mandhana (Source: AFP)Meg Lanning & Smriti Mandhana (Source: AFP)

In a significant development, Meg Lanning has been picked as the captain of the newly-formed UP Warriorz side in the forthcoming edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL). The 33-year-old, who led Australia to win two ODI World Cups and five T20 World Cups, will don the captain’s hat ahead of Deepti Sharma.

The UP-based franchise confirmed the news on social media, making Deepti, who was bought back for a whopping 3.2 Crore in the recently concluded WPL auction, once again play as a marquee player rather than a leader.

Fourth time lucky loading for Lanning?

Under Lanning, Delhi Capitals reached all three WPL finals, two against Mumbai Indians and one against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). However, Delhi ended up losing on all three occasions, and Lanning would love to improve the numbers while playing for her new franchise.

Notably, Lanning, while beginning her new journey with UP Warriorz, will pair up with head coach Abhishek Nayar, who has also been appointed as the head coach of KKR for IPL 2026.

Deepti Sharma - an ancient warrior since beginning

Deepti has been with UP Warriorz since the beginning of the tournament, having made 507 runs and taken 27 wickets over three editions. She had an incredible 2025 with both bat and ball, which resulted in him winning the Player of the Tournament award in India’s historic World Cup triumph.

Lanning, on the other hand, had superb WPL numbers as well. With an average of just under 40, the Australian opener has scored 952 runs in the tournament, with the highest score of 92 coming against Gujarat Giants. In total, she has made nine half-centuries thus far.

When will WPL 2026 begin?

The fourth edition of WPL will begin on January 9, with RCB and Mumbai Indians going head-to-head to kick off the proceedings. UP Warriorz will begin the campaign on January 10, against Gujarat Giants at Dr DY Patil Sports Academy, Navi Mumbai. 

The tournament will have 22 matches, with the final to be held on February 5 at BCA Stadium, Kotambi, Vadodara.