WPL 2026, GG vs Warriorz: Match preview and stats
What's the story
Gujarat Giants and UP Warriorz, the two teams yet to reach a Women's Premier League (WPL) final, will kick-start their campaigns today. The match will be played at DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai at 3:00pm IST. Both teams underwent major changes during the WPL 2026 mega auction, with Giants retaining only two players and Warriorz just one.
Team composition
Giants's batting line-up bolstered
The Giants have strengthened their batting line-up with the addition of Sophie Devine, Yastika Bhatia, and Danni Wyatt-Hodge. They will support captain Ashleigh Gardner and former captain Beth Mooney. However, the team has a slightly inexperienced middle order, which could put pressure on one of their star players to perform consistently in most matches.
Strategic approach
Warriorz's balanced batting line-up
The Warriorz have a well-balanced batting line-up with Meg Lanning and Kiran Navgire likely to open the innings. Harleen Deol and Shweta Sehrawat are other top-order options. The team has also brought back Deepti Sharma, who will be supported by former Giants batter Phoebe Litchfield and all-rounder Deandra Dottin in the middle order, while Chloe Tryon may have to wait to get into the side.
Player spotlight
Mooney's form and Warriorz's hopes
Beth Mooney, who was the second-highest run-scorer in women's T20s in 2025 and topped the charts in the latest WBBL season, will be a key player for Giants. Despite playing just one game in WPL 2023 before being ruled out with injury, she is Giants's second-highest run-scorer after Gardner. On the other hand, Kiran Navgire will look to deliver on her big-hitting reputation after helping Maharashtra win their maiden Senior Women's T20 Trophy last year.
Team strategy
Giants's bowling combination and Warriorz's retention
The Giants may have to compromise on their bowling combination by fitting in Georgia Wareham. This could leave Kim Garth on the bench. However, they can also opt for Garth over Wareham with Rajeshwari Gayakwad replacing Kashvee Gautam or Titas Sadhu. The Warriorz retained only Sehrawat ahead of the WPL 2026 auction but she may find it tough to break into the XI immediately due to competition from Lanning, Litchfield, Dottin and Sophie Ecclestone.
Probable XIs
Here are the probable XIs
GG probable XI: Beth Mooney (wk), Sophie Devine, Yastika Bhatia, Ashleigh Gardner (captain), Georgia Wareham, Kanika Ahuja, Ayushi Soni, Kashvee Gautam, Tanuja Kanwar, Titas Sadhu, Renuka Singh. UPW probable XI: Meg Lanning (captain), Kiran Navgire, Harleen Deol, Phoebe Litchfield, Deepti Sharma, Deandra Dottin, Shipra Giri (wk), Sophie Ecclestone, Asha Sobhana, Shikha Pandey, Kranti Gaud.
Information
Here's the pitch report and H2H record
The DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai is known for assisting batters. With dew present, teams batting 2nd will find more joy. There will be some assistance for quick bowlers with the new ball. In terms of the H2H record, GG and Warriorz are 3-3 from six meetings.
Numbers
Player focus: Here are the key stats
UPW's Lanning needs 21 runs to pip Ellyse Perry, who has withdrawn from WPL 2026 for personal reasons, to go second on the all-time WPL run-scorers' list. In 27 WPL games, Lanning owns 952 runs at 39.66. She owns nine fifties. In 25 matches, Gardner has bagged 567 WPL runs at 24.65. She owns 4 fifties. With the ball, Gardner has managed 25 scalps at 27.20.