'It’s Hard to Pinpoint What Went Wrong' - Abhishek Nayar reflects on UP Warriorz's WPL 2026 exit
Abhishek Nayar admitted it was hard to pinpoint a single reason behind UP Warriorz’s disappointing WPL 2026 campaign.
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UP Warriorz coach Abhishek Nayar admitted it was difficult to identify one clear reason for the team’s struggles in WPL 2026. His comments came after UPW lost to Delhi Capitals on Sunday. The defeat ended their playoff hopes for the season. Delhi won the match by five wickets in the final league fixture.
With that win, the Jemimah Rodrigues-led Delhi Capitals moved into the Eliminator. The result also meant two-time champions Mumbai Indians were knocked out. UP Warriorz, meanwhile, were left to reflect on a campaign that never fully took off. Injuries and inconsistency played a major role.
Speaking after the match, Nayar pointed to the absence of Phoebe Litchfield as a big setback. The Australian batter missed the latter part of the season due to a quad injury. Her absence disrupted the team’s balance at No. 3. UPW struggled to regain momentum after that loss.
“Losing Phoebe Impacted Our Team’s Setup,” Says Nayar
“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,” Nayar said. “Losing Phoebe 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.”
He also highlighted issues at the top of the order. “I believe in T20 cricket, when top order fires, the team tends to do well,” Nayar added. “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.”
In the match, UP Warriorz were limited to 122/8 after batting first. Deepti Sharma, Simran Shaikh and Shikha Pandey offered brief resistance, but no batter crossed 30. Delhi’s bowlers, led by Marizanne Kapp’s three wickets, kept things tight. Chasing 123, Laura Wolvaardt and Jemimah Rodrigues guided Delhi home in 18.4 overs to seal a playoff spot.
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