"When the tournament ends, the most valuable Indian player will be Deepti Sharma" - Aakash Chopra on UP Warriorz's squad heading into WPL 2023

Aakash Chopra believes the UP Warriorz have assembled a formidable side for the Women's Premier League (WPL) 2023. He reckons their high-profile recruit Deepti Sharma will prove to be the most valuable Indian player at the end of the tournament.

The Warriorz spent the entire available purse of ₹12 crore to pick 16 players, including six overseas professionals, at the WPL auction in Mumbai earlier this month. Deepti (₹2.6 crore) was the only player for whom they paid more than two crores.

On the "AakashVani" show on JioCinema, Chopra reflected on the UP Warriorz's squad. The former Indian opener has great expectations from Deepti Sharma and said:

"We were all slightly skeptical about what sort of team they would make because they had taken a franchise for the first time. But they have made a good team.

"Firstly, if it is a UP team and you have a player named Deepti Sharma, who comes from Agra, there cannot be anything better than that.

"Between Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana and Deepti Sharma, I personally believe that when the tournament ends, the most valuable Indian player will be Deepti Sharma. She bowls, bats, fields and has the ability to win matches for the team. She is a phenomenal player."

Chopra added that the Lucknow-based franchise has picked a well-rounded squad, elaborating:

"I see a lot of strengths in this team. If I talk about their bowling, you would say they have assembled a good bowling lineup and if I talk about their batting, you would say it is an amazing batting lineup."

The UP Warriorz recently appointed Alyssa Healy as their skipper for WPL 2023. The decision took a few cricket experts by surprise as they were expecting Deepti to be made the team's first-ever captain.

---

"They have Alyssa Healy as the keeper" - Aakash Chopra on UP Warriorz's batting and bowling might

Alyssa Healy is known for her explosive batting at the top of the order.

Aakash Chopra also pointed out that the UP Warriorz have a formidable top four in their batting lineup, explaining:

"They have Alyssa Healy as the keeper. Along with her, they can have Kiran Navgire as an opener. You will get hit from both ends if they open. After that, Deepti Sharma might come to bat at No. 3 and Tahlia McGrath at No. 4. She is a phenomenal player - bats and bowls."

The reputed commentator added that they have a destructive batter in the form of Grace Harris in the lower-middle order, observing:

"At No. 5, you might have Grace Harris. We have put Grace Harris as a pure batter and she picked up two wickets recently against Sri Lanka in the [Women's T20] World Cup.

"She takes amazing catches and the sort of sixes she hits, if she hits a six at the Wankhede, the ball will go and fall in the Marine Drive."

Chopra reckons opposition teams might struggle to score runs against the UP Warriorz’s bowling attack, stating:

"If you have Sophie Ecclestone, Deepti Sharma, a leg-spinner in the form of Devika Vaidya, another bowler in the form of Tahlia McGrath and then Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Parshavi Chopra, Anjali Sarvani, Lauren Bell and Shabnim Ismail, who will score runs against them?"

Despite their numerous strengths, Chopra feels the lack of a No. 6 or a No. 7 batter might be the UP Warriorz’s only weakness heading into the tournament. However, he added that they will make up for that deficiency with their potent bowling attack, which he termed the best in the tournament.