The UP Warriorz have strengthened their squad with the exciting additions of Alana King, Kranti Goud and Arushi Goel at the WPL Auction in Bengaluru, on Sunday. The UP Warriorz, whose home turf is Lucknow, will be captained by Australian Alyssa Healy, and is coached by England’s Jon Lewis. The dates and venue for the third season of the WPL are yet to be announced.
The franchisee who came into the WPL Auction with only three slots to fill, signed up the Australian all-rounder Alana King (INR 30 Lakh), the uncapped Delhi batter Arushi Goel (INR 10 Lakh) and the uncapped fast bowler Kranti Goud (INR 10 Lakh) from Madhya Pradesh, to complete their squad of 18 for WPL Season 3.
The 29-year-old Alana King is a leg-break bowler and a right-hand lower-order batter, is a seasoned campaigner for the Australian Women’s Cricket Team. King, who has won the Commonwealth Games Gold and ODI World Cup in 2022 and the T20 World Cup in 2023 for her country, has bagged 21 wickets in 22 games, with best figures of 4/8 for the Australian team in T20Is, where she is captained by Alyssa Healy. Not alien to Indian conditions, King, was part of the Supernovas squad, who had won the Women’s T20 Challenge in 2022, before the WPL kicked off in 2023.
The 27-year-old Arushi Goel is a right-hand medium pacer and batter, while the 21-year-old Kranti Goud, who has represented Madhya Pradesh in domestic cricket, is a promising young pacer.
When asked about the squad, coach Jon Lewis said, “We are very happy with our picks at the Auction. The UP Warriorz have of course maintained the core, and there is a healthy mix of the exuberance of youth and priceless experience, and now it’s all about coming together and playing out our roles properly. I am looking forward to getting back with the team soon and begin preparations for the season.”
Kshemal Waingankar, COO, of UP Warriorz said, “We came into the Auction with a very clear idea, and we are happy with how things have panned out for us. The new players of the Squad of 2025 at the UP Warriorz bring plenty of dynamism, enthusiasm and an appetite for a fight, which aligns perfectly with our ethos and the way the team functions. With Jon at the helm, we look forward to an exciting season of WPL.”
Squad:
Alyssa Healy (c), Anjali Sarvani, Deepti Sharma, Grace Harris, Kiran Navgire, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Shweta Sehrawat, Sophie Ecclestone, Tahlia McGrath, Vrinda Dinesh, Saima Thakor, Poonam Khemnar, Gouher Sultana, Chamari Athapaththu, Uma Chetry, Arushi Goel, Alana King, Kranti Goud.
