Gujarat Giants vs UP Warriorz: A new era begins for both teams as the Gujarat Giants and UP Warriorz prepare to meet each other in the initial encounter of the WPL 2026 season. Both teams are the only ones that haven’t been part of a Women’s Premier League final yet and are expected to make a strong opening with revamped teams following the mega auction.
With only two players retained (Giants) and one player (Warriorz) each team has been able to provide some insight into which team has rebuilt best.
Big Picture: Need for Faster Starts at The Top
In the first three seasons of WPL, Gujarat Giants as well as UP Warriorz have struggled to maintain a good scoring rate, specifically in powerplay. Improving this weakness has become one of their top concerns.
Gujarat Giants Batting Strategy
Gujarat have beefed up their middle-order line-up by including Sophie Devine, Yastika Bhatia, and Danni Wyatt-Hodge to accompany regular Beth Mooney and leader Ashleigh Gardner. But given that their middle-order line-up contains quite inexperienced players, it seems that their top-order batswomen might be tasked to do the running.
UP Warriorz Batting Balance
The UP Warriorz seem to have a well-balanced batting order. The team opens with captain Meg Lanning and powerhouse bat Kiran Navgire, followed by Harleen Deol and Shweta Sehrawat. The team has a well-balanced lineup in the middle order with Deepti Sharma, Phoebe Litchfield, Deandra Dottin, and Chloe Tryon.
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Gujarat Giants vs UP Warriorz: Players in the Spotlight
Beth Mooney (Gujarat Giants)
Beth Mooney comes into WPL 2026 in the form of her life, after being one of the leading run-scorers across women’s T20 cricket in 2025 and dominating the WBBL. Injuries restricted her to just a few appearances in the first couple of WPL seasons, but she remains Gujarat’s most bankable batter and will play a key role in anchoring the innings.
Kiran Navgire (UP Warriorz)
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The explosive potential of Kiran Navgire has always been there, but the consistency has evaded her at the WPL level. Come this season, the case could be different. Fresh off a record-breaking domestic campaign where she clobbered the fastest century in women’s T20 cricket, Navgire will be entrusted to provide quick starts alongside Lanning in the Gujarat Giants vs UP Warriorz opener.
Team News: Overseas Selection Dilemmas
Gujarat Giants Possible Changes
Gujarat have some very tricky choices to make regarding their overseas combination. Despite having been the leading run-scorer in women’s T20s in 2025, Danni Wyatt-Hodge might miss out. The possible inclusion of Georgia Wareham may see them go in with an all-Indian pace attack, while Kim Garth is also an option in reserve. Yastika Bhatia is still on the way to full recovery from injury, which should see Bharti Fulmali getting a look-in at the top of the order.
Gujarat Giants (Probable XI):
Beth Mooney (wk), Sophie Devine, Bharti Fulmali, Ashleigh Gardner (capt), Georgia Wareham, Kanika Ahuja, Ayushi Soni, Kashvee Gautam, Tanuja Kanwar, Titas Sadhu, Renuka Singh
UP Warriorz Overseas Core
The UP Warriorz are likely to include their foreign signings Meg Lanning, Phoebe Litchfield, Deandra Dottin, and Sophie Eccelstone. This might mean that Chloe Tryon has to warm the bench despite her recent displays.
UP Warriorz (Probable XI):
Meg Lanning (capt), Kiran Navgire, Harleen Deol, Phoebe Litchfield, Shweta Sehrawat (wk), Deepti Sharma, Deandra Dottin, Sophie Ecclestone, Asha Sobhana, Shikha Pandey, Kranti Gaud
Pitch Report and Conditions
The DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai usually is a more batting-friendly wicket and even more so in the second innings if the dew sets in. The fast bowlers will get some movement early on, but chasing teams tend to have an upper hand, and that will make the toss an important factor in this game between Gujarat Giants and UP Warriorz.
Key Stats and Trivia
Meg Lanning is required just 21 runs to surpass Ellyse Perry in the list of top WPL scorers, moving into the second spot.
In direct matches, both Gujarat Giants and UP Warriorz have an equal number of 3 victories and 3
Sophie Ecclestone has 36 wickets in WPL and requires five wickets to become joint-first in the overall list.
Both teams have been struggling for consistency as both sides have only managed to gain a total of six victories out of their last 16-17 matches.
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