Cricket World Shocked As India's World Cup-Winner Gets Released By WPL Franchise, Coach Explains
Deepti Sharma, the Women's ODI World Cup player of the series, found no place in UP Warriorz's list of retained players.
- Deepti Sharma was Player of the Series in the 2025 ICC Women's ODI World Cup
- She was the highest wicket-taker and key batter in India's World Cup-winning campaign
- UP Warriorz Coach Abhishek Nayar cited desire for a full purse and new team combination as reasons
The ICC Women's ODI World Cup 2025 Player of the Series, Deepti Sharma, was surprisingly released into the auction pool by her Women's Premier League (WPL) franchise, UP Warriorz. Deepti was the central figure in India's victorious campaign in the World Cup, thanks to her all-round skills. She finished the tournament as the highest wicket-taker, while also contributing crucial runs with the bat in some of the most important games. Yet, there was no place for her in the UP Warriorz roster ahead of the new WPL season.
Deepti reserved her best for the World Cup final against South Africa, taking 5/39 in the final against South Africa and adding 58 with the bat. Her influence both with the bat and the ball earned her the top individual award in the tournament.
As UP Warriorz released the list of their released and retained players, the entire cricket world was stunned seeing Deepti being let go.
"It is always hard when it comes to retentions, when you have so many good players, leaders in their own rights, high-performing players. But I think the thought from the franchise was to go in with a clean slate," UP Warriorz coach Abhishek Nayar said in a chat with JioStar.
"Have as much money in the purse as possible to make sure we can not only get the players that we feel can win the Championship, but also get a lot of these players back in the auction," Nayar added.
The 28-year-old all-rounder was also the player-of-the-tournament in the 2024 WPL season, yet she wasn't retained by the Warriorz. The franchise chose to retain only former Under-19 World Cup winner Shweta Sehrawat as part of a fresh approach for the upcoming season.
"Having said that, it is never easy to make these decisions. Right or wrong, never in doubt is something we believe in. The thought process will be to go in with a full purse, try and create the best combination possible," Nayar explained.
UP Warriorz
India Women