NEW DELHI: The inclusion of
Sri Lankan cricket sensation
Chamari Athapaththu has provided a significant boost to
UP Warriorz
and presents a delightful selection dilemma for the team, according to captain
Alyssa Healy
on Friday.
With an already formidable lineup featuring international stalwarts like Healy herself, along with Grace Harris, Sophie Ecclestone, Tahlia McGrath, and Danielle Wyatt, Athapaththu's addition adds further depth and options to the team's roster.
The Sri Lankan star, brought in as a last-minute replacement for England's Lauren Bell, enhances the Warriorz's array of quality overseas players.
The team now finds itself in the enviable position of having multiple top-notch players to choose from, offering the skipper and the management a welcome conundrum in team selection.
Athapaththu's arrival is seen as a major positive for UP Warriorz, and her combination of skill and experience is expected to contribute significantly to the team's performance in upcoming fixtures.
"It's a great signing for us. Obviously, having depth in our side with both bat and ball was really important. To add Chamari to that list of names that we've already got was a really great opportunity for us," Healy said during a virtual media interaction on Friday.
"It's going to be a really difficult conversation for management and myself as well as to who's playing in the eleven and what opportunities everyone's going to get. They're really good problems to have and she's in great form."
In the inaugural edition held last year, Warriorz secured a commendable third-place finish in the competition. The tournament was notably dominated by the eventual champions, Mumbai Indians, who showcased their prowess throughout the event. Delhi Capitals also left a significant mark with their aggressive and impactful style of play.
"We're happy with the underdog tag in particular and go out there and knock off some of these big franchises and show them what we can do," Healy said.
"We learnt last year that we can compete. A lot of people, a lot of chatter around the competition probably wrote us off early and thought the big teams were going to run away with the competition.
"But the fact that our group probably underperformed at times but still managed to come away with wins and to finish third was a huge effort for us."
The Alyssa Healy-led UP Warriorz will take on Royal Challengers Bangalore in their season-opener at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday.
"This season, especially at the auction, we've picked up some of the local players, which is really great signs heading into this season. Hopefully we can continue to improve and obviously, hopefully go one or two better this season and hopefully get our hands on a trophy," she said.
Healy said it will be vital for the Indian players in the UP Warriorz camp to express themselves.
"For us, the learnings was all around just being able to compete, especially for some of the local players who have never played in a competition like this before (Or have) never played against some of the international players that they have.
"I think some confidence on their end to be able to know that they can match it with the best, I think is in good stead,” she said.
Vrinda is an exciting talent: Head coach Lewis
UP Warriorz splurged Rs 1.3 crore on uncapped Karnataka batter Vrinda Dinesh during the auction last December, making her the second-most expensive player in the competition after Kashvee Gautam.
Head coach Jon Lewis said the franchise was pleased to have roped in an exciting player at a young age.
"She's a really exciting young talent. From what I can see in practice and what I can see over the course of the time that I've watched her play, she learns very fast, which generally the best players do," Lewis said.
“We've got a really talented young player who will evolve as the competition goes on over the course of the next two or three seasons."
Lewis admitted that overseas players did the heavy lifting last year but he was confident that India's domestic players are primed to showcase their skills.
"Over the course of the last year, I've come back to India on a couple of occasions and been kept up to date with how players are progressing. Since I've come back in the last 10-12 days, in terms of our preparation, I feel like our young Indian players in particular have really improved," he said.
"It was a big gap for us last year in our performances — our overseas players carried our side at times. I'm really looking forward to creating opportunities for people to show how skillful they are and whether or not they can cope with the pressure of the big stage," he said.
"My view is that there's definite improvement since last year and hopefully you'll see that on the field."
(With PTI inputs)
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