UP Warriorz have turned to England keeper-batter Amy Jones after losing the in-form Phoebe Litchfield to a quad injury that has sent the Australian home two matches before the end of the Women’s Premier League group stage.
Litchfield, 22, had been the bedrock of the Warriorz line-up, scoring 243 runs in six innings – third-most in the tournament and comfortably the side’s best. A Cricket Australia spokesperson confirmed: “Phoebe picked up a low-grade quad strain during the last match and the medical team felt it best she returns to Sydney to get ready for the India tour.”
With the timing tight and two must-win fixtures looming, UPW moved quickly. Jones, overlooked at December’s auction, joins for her base price of INR 50 lakh. The 32-year-old brings 125 T20I caps, 111 ODI appearances and plenty of franchise know-how from the WBBL and the Hundred.
Head coach Jon Lewis admitted the swap was far from ideal but struck an upbeat note. “It’s obviously a blow losing Phoebe because she’d been fantastic at the top, but bringing in someone of Amy’s quality helps. She knows these pressure moments, she keeps tidily and she can score quickly through the middle overs.”
Jones’ most recent competitive cricket came for Melbourne Stars, where she was the club’s second-highest run-getter – 234 runs at a strike-rate of 125.80 in the 2025-26 WBBL. That stint finished in early December, so she arrives fresh but slightly short of match time.
UPW sit bottom of the five-team table after a 45-run defeat to Gujarat Giants on 22 January and own the worst net run-rate in the league. To slip into the play-offs they must beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Thursday and Delhi Capitals on 1 February – and win both by handy margins.
All-rounder Deepti Sharma summed up the task: “We’ve left ourselves work to do, no doubt, but it’s in our hands. Two good games and we’re alive.” Jones is expected to slot straight into the XI, either opening or at first drop, with Alyssa Healy retaining the gloves if the side prefers her powerplay hitting up top.
