WPL 2026, Match 2: Ash Gardner, Meg Lanning In Focus As Gujarat Giants Take On UP Warriorz

WPL 2026, Match 2: Gujarat Giants and UP Warriorz are the only two teams in Women's Premier League (WPL) history that have never featured in the tournament's final. As the 2026 season kicks off, both will be looking to flip that script.

The Giants vs Warriorz contest will be the first of the two matches to be played at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Saturday.

There is another common factor between both the sides — the teams are led by Australians. While Gujarat Giants are being led by Ashleigh Gardner, UP Warriorz will be captained by Meg Lanning who was bought during the auction and made the leader of the side. The two women collectively boast of eight T20 World Cup titles and three ODI World Cup wins.

Interestingly these are also the only teams in the league that boast of overseas captains. Lanning and Gardner have been a long-time teammates so they know each other's game well.

The Giants hit a reset button ahead of this season. They only retained Gardner and Beth Mooney. At the auction they bought Sophie Devine, their most expensive at Rs. 2 crore. The all-rounder captained New Zealand in their successful campaign at the 2024 T20 World Cup.

Gardner, Mooney and Devine add plenty of experience to the squad. To make the squad dynamic, the Giants have added several all-rounder including Georgia Wareham, Kim Garth, Kanika Ahuja.

The batting will be heavily reliant on Danni Wyatt-Hodge and Yastika Bhatia, while the Indian trio of Renuka Singh, Titas Sadhu and Rajeshwari Gayakwad will form the heart of the bowling attack.

The Warriorz, on their part, have bolstered their squad by adding Deandra Dottin and Sophie Ecclestone. While Dottin adds depth to the batting, Ecclestone with her left-arm off spin, adds variation to the bowling attack. Shikha Pandey's pace and swing will forever be a threat to the opposition bowlers.

Warriorz biggest asset is Deepti Sharma. The Indian all-rounder will be high on confidence after winning the World Cup. She was a force to reckon with at the World Cup as she won the Player of the Tournament award. Also, Keep an eye on Kiran Navgire and Pratika Rawal. These two could be Warrioz's X-factor this season.

Gujarat Giants:

Beth Mooney (WK), Sophie Devine, Yastika Bhatia, Ashleigh Gardner (capt), Georgia Wareham, Kanika Ahuja, Ayushi Soni, Kashvee Gautam, Tanuja Kanwar, Titas Sadhu, Renuka Singh

UP Warriorz

Meg Lanning (C), Kiran Navgire, Harleen Deol, Phoebe Litchfield, Deepti Sharma, Deandra Dottin, Shipra Giri (WK), Sophie Ecclestone, Asha Sobhana, Shikha Pandey, Kranti Gaud

Gujarat Giants: 2

UP Warriorz: 3

Form Guide:

Gujarat Giants: L-W-L-L-W

UP Warriorz: L-L-W-W-L

The match begins at 3.30 p.m. IST. It will be streamed LIVE on the JioHotStar app and broadcast on the Star Sports Channel.