Amy Jones replaces Phoebe Litchfield [Source: X.com]On Wednesday, the UP Warriorz made an important change to their squad during the ongoing Women’s Premier League (WPL 2026). Due to an unfortunate injury to their star batter, Phoebe Litchfield, the team has announced England’s experienced wicketkeeper-batter Amy Jones as her replacement.Notably, this decision comes at an important stage of the tournament, as the Warriorz are fighting hard to stay in contention for the playoffs.UP Warriorz name Phoebe Litchfield's replacementIt is worth mentioning that Phoebe Litchfield has been one of the best performers for UP Warriorz this season. Unfortunately, she has been ruled out of the remainder of the WPL because of a quad injury. Cricket Australia spokesperson confirmed that she has returned home to begin rehabilitation ahead of the upcoming Australia vs India series, which starts on February 15.Before her injury, Phoebe Litchfield played all six matches for UP Warriorz and scored an impressive 243 runs. As a result, she finished as the team’s highest run-scorer and the third-highest run-getter overall in the league. Therefore, her absence is a major setback for the team, especially as the league enters its most important phase.Amy Jones named as replacementTo fill the gap left by Phoebe Litchfield, UP Warriorz have brought in Amy Jones. The England wicketkeeper-batter was named as her replacement on Wednesday. Although Jones did not play in the WPL earlier and went unsold at the auction, she has now been picked up by UP Warriorz at her base price of INR 50 lakh.Jones brings a wealth of experience with her. She has played 125 T20 International matches for England and scored 1,666 runs in the format. In addition, she has featured in 111 One Day Internationals and has also played in popular leagues such as the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) and The Hundred.What Amy Jones brings to the teamEven though Amy Jones has not played competitive cricket recently, her experience could be very valuable for UP Warriorz. Her last appearance was in early December 2025 during the WBBL season, where she represented Melbourne Stars. During that tournament, she was the team’s second-highest run-scorer, scoring 234 runs in 11 matches at a strike rate of 125.80. Melbourne Stars reached the Knockout stage but lost to Perth Scorchers.With her strong international background, Jones is expected to add depth to the batting line-up and also provide an extra wicketkeeping option. UP Warriorz’ current situation in WPL 2026 At present, UP Warriorz are struggling in the points table. They have only two wins from six matches, giving them four points and a poor net run rate of -0.769. Their last match was on January 22, when they suffered a 45-run defeat against Gujarat Giants, which left them at the bottom of the table.However, the Warriorz still have hope. They have two matches remaining, against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Thursday and Delhi Capitals on February 1. If they manage to win both games with big margins, they can reach eight points. That said, their qualification will also depend on results from other teams.
