{"id":580,"date":"2026-01-05T10:31:21","date_gmt":"2026-01-05T05:01:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/?post_type=news&#038;p=580"},"modified":"2026-01-23T18:34:17","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T13:04:17","slug":"meg-lanning-to-lead-up-warriorz-in-wpl","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/news\/meg-lanning-to-lead-up-warriorz-in-wpl\/","title":{"rendered":"Meg Lanning to Lead UP Warriorz in WPL 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Former Delhi Capitals skipper and Australian great Meg Lanning has been appointed as the new captain of UP Warriorz ahead of the <a href=\"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wpl-2026-schedule\/\">Women\u2019s Premier League<\/a> (WPL) 2026 season.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The experienced leader replaces Deepti Sharma, who captained the side last season in the absence of injured regular skipper Alyssa Healy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The move brings proven leadership and stability to the UP Warriorz, a franchise still in search of its maiden WPL title.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lanning is widely regarded as one of the most successful captains in women\u2019s cricket, and her appointment is seen as a major boost ahead of the league\u2019s fourth season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bought for \u20b91.90 Crore in WPL 2026 Mega Auction<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meg Lanning was bought by UP Warriorz for \u20b91.90 crore at the <a href=\"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/most-expensive-player-in-wpl\/\">WPL 2026 mega auction<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She was released by the Delhi Capitals, who had earlier enjoyed significant success under her leadership and attempted to buy her back during the auction. However, UP Warriorz emerged victorious in the bidding war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Under Lanning\u2019s captaincy, Delhi Capitals reached the WPL finals on three consecutive occasions.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Although they fell short of lifting the trophy, losing twice to the Mumbai Indians and once to the Royal Challengers Bangalore, Lanning\u2019s leadership and consistency made her one of the league\u2019s standout figures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Lanning\u2019s WPL Record and Batting Impact<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meg Lanning has been among the most reliable batters in WPL history. She has scored 952 runs in 27 matches, making her the third-highest run-scorer in the tournament so far.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Her calm presence at the top of the order and ability to perform under pressure add significant value to the Warriorz lineup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">UP Warriorz head coach Abhishek Nayar praised her appointment, highlighting her composure and tactical awareness.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He described Lanning as a leader who brings \u201cclarity, calmness, and a deep understanding of the game,\u201d qualities that make her an ideal fit for the franchise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Legendary International Career<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meg Lanning retired from international cricket in 2024 after one of the most decorated captaincy careers in the women\u2019s game.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Under her leadership, Australia won seven World Cups, including two <a href=\"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/women-cricket-teams-with-most-icc-tournament\/\">ODI World Cups<\/a> and five T20 World Cups, cementing her legacy as a modern-day great.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Following her retirement, Alyssa Healy took over as Australia\u2019s captain, though the team suffered semifinal exits in the 2024 T20 World Cup and the 2025 ODI World Cup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">UP Warriorz Eye Maiden WPL Title<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">UP Warriorz are yet to win a WPL title. They reached the playoffs in the 2023 and 2024 seasons under Alyssa Healy but failed to qualify in 2025 under Deepti Sharma. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Deepti remains part of the squad after being re-signed for \u20b93.20 crore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With the WPL 2026 season beginning on January 9 and the final scheduled in Vadodara, UP Warriorz will hope Meg Lanning\u2019s leadership finally guides them to their first championship.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":581,"template":"","tags":[305,307,306],"ppma_author":[493],"class_list":["post-580","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-meg-lanning-captain","tag-meg-lanning-to-lead","tag-up-warriorz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/580","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/581"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=580"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=580"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=580"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}