UP Warriorz endured another disappointing outing in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 as a bold tactical move backfired during their second match of the season against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Tuesday.
The UP-based franchise surprised many by promoting Harleen Deol to open the batting instead of power-hitter Kiran Navgire, who had opened in the previous game against the Gujarat Giants. The move, however, failed to deliver the desired results, leaving UP Warriorz struggling to build momentum early in their innings.
Harleen, known more for her technical solidity than explosive starts, could not capitalise on the opportunity. She managed just 11 runs from 14 balls, including two boundaries, at a strike rate of 78.57. Her innings was marked by hesitation, with as many as nine dot balls, which stalled the scoring during the crucial powerplay phase.
Following the match, head coach Abhishek Nayar openly admitted the decision had not paid off. “We felt that with the moving ball at that point, Harleen could add a bit of value in the powerplay. She’s obviously technically correct. It didn’t work out today. I felt it turned out to be the wrong decision. I take complete responsibility for it,” Nayar said.
Explaining the strategy further, he added, “The thought process behind it was having some solidity up top and then hopefully having that power later on as the pitch gets better, because we anticipated a bit of swing initially. I thought those match-ups for Kiran Navgire in the middle would work. [But they] didn’t work today. So I look foolish.”
Harleen’s opening partner, Meg Lanning, also struggled to find fluency. Lanning scored at a strike rate of just 66.66 after facing 21 deliveries, as the opening pair collectively managed only 25 runs from 35 balls. Together, they struck at 71.42 and consumed nearly 60 percent dot balls, leaving UP Warriorz with just 36 runs in the powerplay despite losing only one wicket.
The sluggish start put pressure on the middle order, and wickets fell in quick succession as batters attempted to compensate for the lost momentum. UP Warriorz could only reach 143 for five in their 20 overs, a total that proved well below par.
RCB made light work of the chase, reaching the target in just 12.1 overs with nine wickets in hand. The emphatic defeat handed UP Warriorz their second consecutive loss of the WPL 2026 season and raised questions about their batting combinations moving forward.
