UPW To Face Another Setback: Chamari Athapaththu Set To Leave Midseason

UPW already had a bad start in the WPL 2025 having played and lost one match against Gujrat Giants will face another setback as senior all-rounder Chamari Athapaththu is set to leave midway for Sri Lanka’s tour.

She did not get a place in the Playing XI in the opening match of the team but will be available for selection till 26 February 2025, which means three matches. She is already picked to be in the playing squad of the UPW in today’s match against Delhi Capitals.

The team will try to chase victory to improve their position on the points table as they sit at the bottom as of now. Chamari’s expertise could bring a much-needed win for the team as she holds several records to her name. She remains the only Sri Lankan female cricketer to score a century in ODI cricket and her consistent performance in the ODIs earned her the World Number 1 tag in the rankings.

She has led her team, Sri Lanka to victory several times as a captain and is the first Sri Lankan woman to play in franchise cricket. She’s set to leave UPW behind for her home tour against New Zealand in the white-ball tour. The tour commences on 4 March, meanwhile, the New Zealand all-rounder Amelia Kerr will remain in the WPL for Mumbai Indians till the end of the league. The league ends on 15 March, while the Sri Lankan tour will take place from 4 March to 18 March.

Athapaththu could not make the cut to the playing squad in the first match and was selected for the white-ball tour early this month. With UPW’s second match in the WPL taking place today, Chamari could prove herself to be deserving of the playing XI and could potentially be a permanent choice for the team for the next three matches before she leaves.

UPW was already without their usual captain Alyssa Healy, who could not be a part of the tournament due to an injury, and following the previous defeat of the team by Gujrat Giants, this was not much of a dream debut for Deepti Sharma as a captain.

It will be interesting to see how they manage to pull off a victory against DCW in today’s match after losing to them three out of four last matches. UPW will be seeking redemption against the two-time finalists Delhi Capitals on 19 February, the match starts at 7:30 PM IST at Kotambi Stadium, Vadodara. It will be available for live streaming on JioHotstar and Sports18.

Also Read: WPL 2025: UPW vs DCW Match Preview, Prediction