UP Warriorz eye upward climb and a double over MI

Meg Lanning had few words for her team after three consecutive defeats. A change of scenery brought her to another WPL franchise in 2026, which endured a false start—until they faced Mumbai Indians two nights ago. The narrative flipped slightly as they added a win to their three losses. The league’s five-team structure and rapid turnaround offer a chance to double that when they face Harmanpreet Kaur’s side again in the day game of the double header.

Mumbai Indians, sitting second with two wins and two defeats, will believe an afternoon fixture might suit their batting and offer a quick bounceback from their latest misstep. This is a franchise that knows about going the distance, having won two of the three titles already. Their two losses this season match their total from all of 2023 and are one fewer than last season. It’s still early days, so the messaging here is expected to be similar: go out there, enjoy yourselves, back your skills.

When: Mumbai Indians vs UP Warriorz, January 17, 3:30 PM IST
Where: Dr DY Patil Sports Academy, Navi Mumbai
What to expect: Big scores? The only other afternoon fixture in Navi Mumbai saw Gujarat Giants smash 207 against UP Warriorz and win by just 10 runs.

Even in defeat, Nat Sciver-Brunt returned with a star turn—two wickets and a 65 in the chase. She should keep her spot ahead of Hayley Mathews.

Probable XI: Gunalan Kamalini (w), Amelia Kerr, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Amanjot Kaur, Nicola Carey, Sajeevan Sajana, Sanskriti Gupta, Poonam Khemnar, Shabnim Ismail, Triveni Vasistha

Meg Lanning’s team should look the same as it did two nights ago when they picked up their first points.

Probable XI: Kiran Navgire, Meg Lanning (c), Phoebe Litchfield, Harleen Deol, Shweta Sehrawat (w), Chloe Tryon, Deepti Sharma, Sophie Ecclestone, Asha Sobhana Joy, Shikha Pandey, Kranti Gaud