Navi Mumbai, Jan 5 UP Warriorz head coach Abhishek Nayar said his side has the potential to make a strong impact in the 2026 Women’s Premier League (WPL) if the squad can gel quickly and perform together as a cohesive unit.
At the mega auction last year, UPW assembled a group of experienced and young players with an aim to win their maiden title under Meg Lanning’s leadership. “My message is very simple. This sport is about the players, not the coach. The type of cricket you are playing, just play that type of cricket.
“It is important that you play as a team. If this team can play together, it will be very good. The vision is clear. We will try to play good cricket. Whenever you enter a tournament, the mindset is always to win it. We will keep an eye on every player’s form and try to perform well,” Nayar told IANS on the sidelines of the pre-season press conference on Monday.
WPL has been fruitful in unearthing gems who have gone on to enter the Indian team and Nayar promised the same pattern will continue in the upcoming season set to happen from January 9 to February 5.
“The format and the speciality of this tournament is that they are continuously giving good players to India and the Indian team. This time also, we will try to get a new star from this tournament.”
Nayar revealed the team's auction strategy was focused on securing experienced performers alongside quality Indian talent. “There were 2-3 criteria. First, the player should be experienced. Second, we will take as many good Indian players as possible who were available in the auction. We wanted good Indian players and experienced players,” he said.
Nayar signed off by placing the onus on players to meet their own standards. “Expectations are not ours, they are always of the players from themselves. We will try to see if the players meet their own expectations as they are very important in this game, considering the pressure around. My thought is that as long as our players can play good cricket and are happy with their cricket, that is my expectation from them.”
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