Harleen Deol smashed 64* in 39 balls as UPW defeated MIW in WPL 2026 game.
Harleen was batting on 47 off 36 balls, and there were just three overs remaining when Nayar called her in.
However, Harleen took the incident in her stride and starred with a match-winning knock in UPW’s next WPL match against the Mumbai Indians Women. She made 64* in 39 balls with 12 fours as UPW won the game by 7 wickets with 11 balls to spare.
Thanks to Nat Sciver-Brunt’s 65 and Amanjot Kaur’s 38, MI Women posted 161/5 in 20 overs after being asked to bat first by UP Warriorz captain Meg Lanning. In response, Meg Lanning gave a good start with 25, and Phoebe Litchfield also made 25 runs. Harleen and Chloe Tryon’s 27* in 11 balls gave UPW a solid win.
Nayar justified the move to retire Harleen in the previous game against Delhi, claiming it wasn't a "spontaneous one" and that Harleen took it in the right spirit.
“It wasn't like a very spontaneous decision. The conversation started around the 12th over, when we first sent a message to Meg Lanning while they were batting together. I think after the time-out in the 14th over, Meg decided to have a word with Harleen as well. At that point in time, we had already communicated to Harleen that if we don't get going in the 16th or 17th over, we will look for a change,” Nayar told reporters in the post-match press conference.
“I know from the outside it feels like, 'Oh damn, what happened?' but when we reached the 17th over, we just felt we had the power; we wanted to make sure we gave them the opportunity in the game. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. In hindsight, the whole team felt like that was the right decision,” he added.
Examining the matter further, the UP Warriorz coach stated that Harleen is a team player and that she comprehended the reasoning behind the decision, which was to simply up the batting pace.
“She is a team player; she always thinks team first, Harleen second. So the conversations post that incident were more about how we can make a difference today. But it wasn't a very tough conversation, so it was more about making sure she's okay and the stigma around [retiring out],” he said.
“When people talk about it and say, 'Oh, this has happened,' without knowing what's happening. I think not only me but also a couple of the coaches and owners had conversations, but she was okay. I remember just after walking in, the first thing she said was, 'Sir, we can win this game.' It becomes very easy when you have a player who doesn't think 'me' and thinks team,” he added.
UP Warriorz will play the same opponent on Saturday, January 17, and despite their victory over MI, they are still at the bottom of the standings.