India all-rounder Deepti Sharma was named as the vice-captain of the UP Warriorz team in the inaugural edition of WPL.
The announcement was made on Saturday in a statement released by the Lucknow based franchisee.
25-year-old Deepti Sharma, who hails from Agra, was among the most wanted Indian players at the Auction.
She is a crucial part of the Indian women’s team set-up and is one of the few players from the country to have turned out in franchise tournaments outside India.
Deepti, who has bagged 6 wickets in five games at the 2023 Women’s T20 World Cup, brings with her a wealth of experience and leadership experience and is set to play a significant role in the leadership group.
A superb spinner, a dependable batter and a gun fielder, Deepti was part of Western Storm (Super League), Sydney Thunder (WBBL), Birmingham Phoenix, and London Spirit (both The Hundred) in her stints in franchise cricket outside of India.
In the 30 games that Deepti has played in franchise cricket abroad, she has picked 32 wickets, scoring 394 runs as well. In India, during the Women’s T20 Challenge, she has turned out for the Trailblazers and Velocity as well.
So far in her career, Deepti has played 92 games in T20Is and is the leading wicket-taker for the Indian team, with 102 scalps to her name.
She made her debut in T20Is in 2016.
The Women’s Premier League is set to be played in Mumbai from 4th – 26th March, 2023. A total of 22 matches will be played with the Brabourne Stadium & DY Patil Stadium playing hosts to the marquee tournament. The UP Warriorz open their campaign on 5 March, with the second game of the day when they face the Gujarat Giants at the DY Patil Stadium.
UP Warriorz Squad: Alyssa Healy (Captain), Sophie Ecclestone, Deepti Sharma, Tahlia McGrath, Shabnim Ismail, Anjali Sarvani, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Parshavi Chopra, Shweta Sehrawat, S Yashasri, Kiran Navgire, Grace Harris, Devika Vaidya, Lauren Bell, Laxmi Yadav, Simran Shaikh