WPL 2026: ‘Plenty of positives to take forward,’ says Lanning after UP Warriorz defeat

Navi Mumbai, Jan 10 (LatestNewsX) UP Warriorz captain Meg Lanning chose to see the positives despite her side suffering a 10-run defeat against Gujarat Giants in their opening match of the Women’s Premier League 2026 at the DY Patil Stadium on Saturday, admitting that her team fell short in execution but gained valuable learnings from the contest.

Speaking after the match, Lanning said the Warriorz were disappointed not to start the campaign with a win but believed the performance provided several takeaways ahead of their next fixture.

“I thought it was a good game with plenty of positives for us. Of course, we would have loved to start with a win, but we just couldn’t quite put it together for long enough. Still, it was nice to get the first game out of the way, and there’s a lot we can take forward into the next one,” Lanning said.

Chasing a challenging target of 207, the Warriorz showed fighting spirit but were left with too much to do in the end. Lanning credited the Gujarat Giants for putting her side under sustained pressure with the bat.

“I thought the Giants batted extremely well and put us under pressure. We probably didn’t execute as well as we would have liked, a little bit on both sides of the wicket. It was a tough wicket to bowl on and good for batting,” she explained.

The former Australia skipper acknowledged that there were areas the Warriorz needed to improve, particularly with the ball, but remained confident in the depth and flexibility of her bowling attack.

“You always have things to improve on every game and we have a few before our next match. That is the good thing with our bowling line-up, everyone can bowl at any time,” Lanning said.

She also spoke about playing alongside England spinner Sophie Ecclestone, who returned figures of two wickets in the match, highlighting the familiarity and mutual respect between the two.

“She knows her game pretty well, and it was nice to play with her this time. We have played a lot against each other,” Lanning noted.

Despite the loss, Lanning stressed the importance of quickly moving on and embracing the challenges ahead in a long tournament. “Now it’s about taking those learnings and enjoying the next challenge,” she added.

Speaking of the match, Warriorz won the toss and opted to bowl first. Gujarat Giants posted a challenging total of 207/4 in their 20 overs, with Ashleigh Gardner leading the charge, scoring 65 off 41 balls. In reply, Warriorz showed a tough fight in the middle overs with Phoebe Litchfield scoring a quick 78 off 40 balls, but the rest of the batting lineup failed to capitalise, resulting in their 10-run defeat.

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