WPL 2024: UP Warriorz happy with the underdog tag, says captain Alyssa Healy

The second season of the WPL is upon us, and the Alyssa Healy led UP Warriorz are raring to go. UP Warriorz will open their campaign against the Royal Challengers Bangalore on 24 February, at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Looking ahead to the tournament, the UP Warriorz have plenty of depth in terms of batting and bowling, and the leadership group is not unhappy about having a selection headache of this kind. One of the latest entrants to the squad was the Sri Lankan Chamari Athapaththu, who is well known for her ability to score big runs.

“It is really important for our side to have the depth in the batting and bowling department of course, and when we add Chamari to that list, it is going to be a difficult conversation for sure about the playing XI. But these are really good problems to have,” said Alyssa Healy.

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“But, I think it will be a really dynamic team for us who will take the field throughout the competition because we have so many good players, all of whom are waiting to go out there and show the world what they can do,” the skipper added.

Healy, who has now taken over as Australia captain as well, explained it is important for the environment in the team to be such that everyone is having an enjoyable time. “It’s all about trying to enjoy my cricket and also make it enjoyable for everyone on the team, including the Indian players. There is a lot of pressure in the WPL, and overall, it’s a new experience for a lot of the young players. It’s about helping them relax and helping them believe that they are good enough to be here. A lot of the players enjoyed the tournament last year in this group and this year hopefully it will be no different.”

She further added, “We are happy with the underdog tag, and hopefully we can go out there and knockout some of the big franchises and show them what the UP Warriorz can do.”

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Meanwhile, head coach Jon Lewis, said, “I think it is the responsibility of the whole tournament to help grow the game in India. I am a big believer in competition helping development. The competition for slots in the team and the teams will drive up the standards for sure.”

For Jon, who is in his second year with the UP Warriorz, it is about going one game at a time. “We will take things one day at a time and one game at a time. The WPL has some very good squads, and we don’t want to think and look too far ahead because it’s essential to concentrate on the present. Each member of the squad, and especially the younger ones, have come back with plenty of overall improvement, and I am very happy about that. Now it’s just about executing the plans and doing the small things well under pressure,” he signed off.