Harleen Deol scored an unbeaten 64 to lead UP Warriorz to their first win of WPL 2026 on Wednesday. UP beat defending champions Mumbai Indians by seven wickets at DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.
Chasing 162, UP finished at 162/3 in 18.1 overs with 11 balls left. Harleen hit 12 fours off just 39 balls and stayed till the end. This came just 24 hours after she was retired out against the Delhi Capitals while batting on 47.
Mumbai Indians’ Batting Effort Falls Short
Mumbai Indians put up 161/5 in their 20 overs after being asked to bat first. Nat Sciver-Brunt top-scored with 65 off 43 balls despite recovering from food poisoning. She also picked up two wickets with the ball, but could not stop UP from winning.
UP lost captain Meg Lanning early for 25 off 26 balls. Kiran Navgire went soon after making just 10 runs. Harleen walked in and built the chase with Phoebe Litchfield. The pair added runs without taking big risks on a slow pitch.
Harleen reached her fifty in the 15th over, bowled by Sanskriti Gupta. She kept finding gaps and hit boundaries regularly against Shabnim Ismail and other MI bowlers. Her confidence grew as the target came closer.
Chloe Tryon joined Harleen after Litchfield got out. Tryon smashed 27 runs off only 11 balls to finish the game quickly. She had earlier taken a great catch to dismiss Mumbai captain Harmanpreet Kaur during their innings.
Mumbai started poorly in the power play with just 32 runs, their lowest of the season so far. They were 54/2 after 10 overs before Sciver-Brunt, and Nicola Carey put on a partnership. The pair added 85 runs for the fourth wicket to take MI past 160.
Amanjot Kaur made 38 off 33 balls at the top. Harmanpreet scored 16 off 11 before Tryon caught her off Asha Shobhana’s bowling. Mumbai got 93 runs in their last eight overs, but 161 was not enough on this ground.
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UP Coach’s Faith in Harleen Pays Off
UP coach Abhishek Nayar had retired Harleen out in the previous match, a call that got questioned by many. He backed her again for this game, and she proved him right. UP broke their three-match losing streak and opened their account in the tournament standings.
Harleen won Player of the Match for her knock. Deepti Sharma bowled well in the death overs for UP, but it was the batting that won them the game.Mumbai Indians also lost to RCB Women earlier in the season and have now suffered two defeats in four matches.
UP Warriorz needed this win badly after starting the season with three straight losses. The victory gives them momentum going into their next matches. Mumbai will look to bounce back when they play again later this week.
The match showed that totals around 160 can be chased at DY Patil Stadium if batters stay calm. Harleen proved her class by handling pressure just one day after the retirement controversy. Her innings saved UP’s campaign from falling apart completely.
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