The UP Warriorz (UPW) carried out a large strategic reset ahead of the WPL 2026 Mega Auction, keeping the uncapped Indian batter Shweta Sehrawat. This brave move gives them the largest auction purse of INR 14.5 crore and the critical advantage of four right-to-match (RTM) cards.
 
Their plan will not be limited to buying new players, but will also include using RTMs on their released stars to acquire them at the market price, saving on fixed retention fees, and then filling important voids with the remaining funds. The major purpose of UP Warriorz is to re-establish solid leadership and a world-class bowling spine. Here, we go deeper into UP Warriorz's top three possible targets for the 2026 WPL edition.

UP Warriorz Women's 2026 WPL Retained Players: 

1. Deepti Sharma

Deepti Sharma has got into the radar of all the franchises, thanks to her stellar and noteworthy performance for the triumphant Indian Cricket team run in the 2025 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, in addition to being the highest wicket-taker of the tournament. Therefore, it is no surprise that Sharma is one of the most expensive players in the forthcoming mega auction.

UP Warriorz can try going all out for her and use the valuable RTM card, as the squad requires a quality spin option amidst the Indian conditions, and there is no surprise about Deepti not disappointing with her spinmeister tricks and quality batting. In her 25 WPL matches, she scored 791 runs and took over 27 wickets, making her one of the best all-rounders in women’s cricket.

2. Meg Lanning

The UPW should aggressively pursue Meg Lanning, who was unexpectedly released by the Delhi Capitals, with their former captain, Alyssa Healy, being released and potentially going for a high price. Lanning is perhaps the most successful captain in women's cricket, leading the Capitals to three straight WPL finals.

Her availability provided a tremendous opportunity to instantly create a winning and fundamentally sound leadership culture throughout the squad,. The first step in restructuring UP Warriorz was to try to acquire an experienced captain to compete for the WPL title. In her remarkable WPL spell with DC, she scored 952 runs in just 27 matches, with an immaculate average of over 40, making her the ideal choice for UP Warriorz's new leader.

3. Deandra Dottin

Deandra Dottin, the West Indies prowess, may not have appeared in every season of the WPL, but her powerful hitting and wicket-taking abilities make her a player worth seeing. Dottin has a strong T20 record, and her experience in franchise leagues throughout the world, including Women's CPL and The Hundred, provides balance and leadership, which MI could need in a squad full of inexperienced faces.

In the previous edition, she played for Gujarat Giants and had a successful season, scoring 142 runs at a strike rate of 154.35 and taking nine wickets at an economy rate of 8.43.