The Australians have arrived in WPL 2026

A recent poster for India women's upcoming tour of Australia carried the headline "Australia take on the World Champs." This was unusual, because world champions don't usually tour Australia—they stay there. For over a decade, only six ODIs have been played in Australia by a touring world champion side, with no T20Is. This highlights Australia's prolonged dominance in women's cricket, where their team and players have set the modern benchmark.

In the Women's Premier League, Australian players have reigned supreme since its start. Four of the top-10 run-getters and two of the top-10 wicket-takers in the competition are from Australia. However, the 2026 season paints a different picture. For the first time, there is an absence of Australian dominance in the league.

The star players from the world's most dominant side, who carried the bulk of the overseas weight in the first three seasons, haven't hogged the spotlight during the Navi Mumbai leg of WPL 2026. On paper, they still form the strongest overseas representation, filling 13 of the 29 overseas slots. Yet, the Australians have not dictated the terms of the competition this year.

This begins with their absence. Big names like Alyssa Healy, Tahlia McGrath, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Sophie Molineux, and Jess Jonassen are not featuring this time. Georgia Voll, Alana King, and Kim Garth haven't had a chance to play. Meg Lanning looked scratchy in the first two games, while Beth Mooney and Georgia Wareham are yet to hit their stride.

Much of the Australian presence this season has been shouldered by Nicola Carey, the central contract-rejecting debutant. She has capitalized on opportunities in the absence of the injured Hayley Matthews and the unwell Nat Sciver-Brunt to secure her place in the Mumbai Indians side and contribute heavily. She has been supported by Ash Gardner, Phoebe Litchfield, and Grace Harris with occasional blitzes.

Seeing Lanning and Litchfield dictate terms in the middle for more than 75 balls at a stretch was long overdue. Their international careers have had little overlap, having featured together in only three ODIs previously. But on Saturday afternoon, with their distinct styles, they took charge of the UP Warriorz innings.

Lanning, after a slow start, cut loose against Nicola Carey in the fifth over, pulling her through square leg and cutting for a boundary. She punished both short balls and those pitched on good lengths. As she wielded her mastery against bowlers like Sanskriti Gupta and Nat Sciver-Brunt to enter her 40s, Litchfield played second fiddle until the eighth over. Then, she took charge, slashing Amanjot Kaur over point for a boundary and thumping a six down the ground.

By the mid-innings mark, with both batters motoring smoothly, the scoring rate had picked up to nine runs per over. They switched to fifth gear, launching a double attack of precision, timing, and crafty execution. Both charged down the track to Amelia Kerr, and Litchfield carted Amanjot for two boundaries and two sixes before holing out. Lanning continued the carnage in the next over against Matthews, pulling her for three boundaries before being caught at deep square leg.

With quickfire half-centuries and a 124-run stand, they set the foundation for UP Warriorz's late flourish, which should have propelled the side past 200. Instead, incoming batters struggled to hit big and lost wickets trying to target the longer boundary.

But it wasn't just UP Warriorz; even Mumbai Indians' top order struggled. In the 17.1 overs that followed (across both teams), only 120 runs were scored for the loss of 10 wickets.

What made Lanning and Litchfield's partnership seem like it was played on a different track? It wasn't chanceless—catches were dropped, giving them extra time in the middle. But the frequency with which they middled their shots and found gaps stood out. After the innings, Litchfield noted, "It's probably the best of the three pitches we've played on. Even though it's worn, it's pretty nice. We needed to get to 200."

However, Kerr had a different assessment post-game: "It was a good wicket but a little slower. If spinners held their pace, you could get some turn. That made it hard for us to rotate in the middle phase, and there was a lack of boundaries."

Before Mumbai Indians' clever changes of pace and use of the longer boundary paid off, Lanning and Litchfield had done the damage, stitching a partnership that dictated the contest's outcome.

Both Australian batters praised each other's support. Litchfield said, "We complement each other pretty well. If I'm struggling, she's going, and vice versa. It's fun to bat with her. Running between wickets and hitting boundaries comes easy." Lanning echoed this: "It's nice batting with Phoebe. We hit to different areas and complement each other well. We're starting to understand each other's games. She took pressure off me with her strike rate. I really enjoyed it; hopefully, we can have a couple more before the tournament ends."

Despite a late counter-attack by Kerr and Amanjot, UP Warriorz sealed a comfortable 22-run victory. With two wins in two games against the defending champions in the Navi Mumbai leg, they have resurrected their playoff chances as they head to Vadodara.

Beyond the victories, the team has found confidence under new leadership. Lanning said, "In the last two games, we've nailed the planning process. We came out very clear about what we wanted to do. It's nice to have that off-field work transfer into execution on the field."

UP Warriorz remain strong in the competition, with their Australian imports leading the fight.