UP Warriorz head coach Abhishek Nayar recently came forward and talked about the decision to retire out Harleen Deol against Delhi Capitals women and her subsequent performance against Mumbai Indians in the ongoing WPL 2026.
With the ongoing WPL (Women’s Premier League) 2026 mesmerising fans with some brilliant matches, one of the biggest highlights from the tournament so far has been the retired-out fiasco involving UP Warriorz batter Harleen Deol. It is worth noting that during Warriorz’s clash against Delhi Capitals on January 14, Deol was retired out by Abhishek Nayar after she was unable to accelerate the run rate.
However, Harleen Deol went on to prove all the doubters wrong in the very next game. UP Warriorz took on Mumbai Indians women on January 15, and chasing down a target of 162 runs, it was the brilliant 64*-run knock by Harleen that helped Warriorz win the game.
After the clash, UP Warriorz took to social media and shared a clip in which Abhishek Nayar can be seen clearing the air over his thinking about why Harleen Deol was retired out against Delhi.
“For Harleen, it has always been about the team first and herself second, and that belief has stayed strong within this group. I’ve always encouraged her to see herself as both a touch and power player, because my mindset is to push Indian cricketers to the next level. She’s now the second Indian batter after Harmanpreet to score a fifty this season, and that’s exactly what we wanted to see,” Abhishek Nayar said in the video.
Nayar spoke up on the team’s atmosphere as well
Furthermore, the UP Warriorz head coach talked about what the environment is like within the dressing room at the side, how united the entire team has been and how dedicated they are to winning.
“Our team culture doesn’t change whether we win or lose. We’ve had some tough outings, but we also have lively characters like Kranti Gaud and Phoebe Litchfield who keep the energy high in the dressing room. A positive environment is important regardless of results,” Nayar said.