Coach Abhishek Nayar Reflects On How UP Warriorz Fell Short of the Playoffs: ‘Hard to Pinpoint What Went Wrong'

Vadodara (Gujarat) [India]: UP Warriorz (UPW) coach Abhishek Nayar said it is difficult to pinpoint where the team's Women's Premier League (WPL) 2026 season went wrong but admitted that Phoebe Litchfield's absence hurt them, following a loss against Delhi Capitals on Sunday and eventually being eliminated from the playoff race.

Also Read: Australia Set To Be Without Josh Hazlewood In T20 World Cup 2026, Pacer Likely To Miss Early Phase Of Showpiece Event: Report

Delhi Capitals secured a convincing five-wicket win against the UP Warriorz in the final league stage fixture.With this victory, the Jemimah Rodrigues-led side not only moved into the eliminators of the WPL, they also eliminated two-time champions Mumbai Indians, who finished fourth in the WPL standings.

Speaking after the loss, UPW coach Abhishek Nayar said it was difficult to pinpoint a single reason for the team's poor season, noting that momentum was affected by Phoebe Litchfield's absence, which disrupted the No. 3 position. Litchfield's WPL 2026 campaign was cut short due to a quad injury. Notably, Litchfield is UPW's second-highest run-scorer in the season with 243 runs to her name in 6 matches.

Abhishek Nayar added that the top order failed to fire consistently, making it a season that simply didn't go as planned.

"I just think it's a season where it is hard to pinpoint what went wrong because we got some momentum when we won those two games. Losing Phoebe (Litchfield) impacted our team's setup. It was hard for us to replace someone who has got more than 250 runs for us in the season. Number three didn't look the same for us post Phoebe. It was hard for us to fill her boots, in that regard. I believe in T20 cricket, when top order fires, the team tends to do well. Unfortunately how the season went for Kiran, it didn't pan out the way we wanted it to. It's been one of those seasons where it just didn't work out," Abhishek Nayar said.

Delhi ended their league stage campaign in third place with six points in eight matches (four wins and as many losses). Apart from Delhi, Gujarat Giants, who finished second and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, who topped the charts, have qualified for the playoffs of the ongoing WPL 2026 season. After being asked to bat first, UP Warriorz were restricted to a modest 122/8 in 20 overs. It was a disappointing day for them with the bat, as none of their batters crossed even the 30-run mark.

Deepti Sharma (24 off 19 balls, including four boundaries and one six), Simran Shaikh (22 off 14 deliveries, with three fours) and Shikha Pandey (23* off 13 balls, with three fours) chipped in crucial runs for the UP Warriorz.
For the Delhi Capitals, Marizanne Kapp scalped a three-wicket haul (3/30). Chinelle Henry (2/25) and Shree Charani (2/22) bagged two wickets apiece. Minnu Mani (1/13) took one wicket.

Also Read: Tilak Varma Set For Comeback As BCCI Announces India 'A' Squad For Upcoming T20 World Cup Warm-Up Fixtures

Chasing just 123 runs, wicketkeeper-batter Lizelle Lee was out on 10 runs off as many deliveries, with two fours. Opener Shafali Verma scored 29 off 33 balls, with two fours.

However, Laura Wolvaardt (47 off 36 balls, with seven fours) and captain Jemimah Rodrigues (26 off 16 balls, with three fours) helped the Delhi Capitals chase down the target in 18.4 overs.