Written by Shankar Narayan Navi Mumbai | January 17, 2026 07:43 PM IST 4 min readAustralian duo of captain Meg Lanning and Phoebe Litchfield made full use of the batting-friendly conditions to lay the foundation for UP Warriorz to reach 187/8 after 20 overs. (Express Photo | Amit Chakravarty)Fifties from Meg Lanning and Phoebe Litchfield helped Warriorz reach 187/8 which proved too much for MI in the end.The UP Warriorz’ Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 campaign gathered further momentum on Saturday as they produced a near-complete performance to defeat reigning champions Mumbai Indians by 22 runs to end their D.Y.Patil Stadium leg of the season on a high.Lanning-Litchfield shineAfter Kiran Navgire fell for a first-ball duck, the Australian duo of captain Meg Lanning and Phoebe Litchfield made full use of the batting-friendly conditions to lay the foundation for UP Warriorz to reach 187/8 after 20 overs.Lanning walked in carrying confidence from her 54 against Delhi Capitals and quickly settled into her rhythm, using the leg-side boundaries to great effect. She punished anything loose from the MI pacers, and a couple of crisp fours and a six over fine-leg early on set the tone.MAXIMUM x 2⃣ Enjoy some batting brilliance from Phoebe Litchfield and Meg Lanning Updates ▶️ https://t.co/7bDWCP77Em #TATAWPL | #KhelEmotionKa | #UPWvMI | @UPWarriorz pic.twitter.com/tzqjZsa2fi— Women’s Premier League (WPL) (@wplt20) January 17, 2026After cashing in against pace, Lanning switched seamlessly to spin. She was quick to latch onto anything short and picked her scoring options with clarity, reaching her half-century in 35 balls with a clean straight six off Amelia Kerr over long-off.Phoebe Litchfield took time to find her feet, managing just two runs off her first four deliveries. She gathered momentum with a boundary in the third over before producing her first stroke of real authority in the sixth, driving Hayley Matthews through cover. Litchfield followed it up with a four and a six off Amanjot Kaur in the ninth over, shifting gears decisively.Given a life on 36 when dropped by Triveni Vashistha off Nat Sciver-Brunt, Litchfield made MI pay. Even when the bowlers went straighter, she created room to free her arms through the off side, bringing up her fifty in 33 balls with a crunching cover drive.The pair raised their 100-run stand in the 12th over. Litchfield was reprieved again by Harmanpreet Kaur in the 13th over but fell soon after for 61 off 37 balls, ending a commanding 119-run stand. Lanning followed an over later, dismissed for a fluent 70 off 45, but not before giving Warriorz the platform they needed.Story continues below this adHarman falls earlyAs has been the case almost right through this season, Harmanpreet Kaur walked out with Mumbai Indians in trouble, with the scoreboard reading 23 for 2 in just 3.2 overs.She began cautiously, absorbing pressure and trying to quieten the noise around her. Her first boundary, struck off the eighth ball she faced, was less a release of intent and more an assertion of control. Alongside Sciver-Brunt, she set about the task of repair, rotating strike and resisting the urge to force the pace too early.But when Sciver-Brunt fell with the score on 44, the weight of the chase seemed to settle entirely on Kaur’s shoulders. She tried to respond, pulling Chloe Tryon for a six over mid-wicket in the 11th over – a shot that briefly reignited belief in the stands and in the dugout.A couple of balls later, chasing the same stroke, she mistimed and found Sophie Ecclestone on the boundary, walking back for 18. On an evening when they needed her composure again, the captain fought briefly, but the rescue never truly arrived.Story continues below this adBrief Scores: UP Warriorz 187/8 in 20 overs (Lanning 70, Litchfield 61) beat Mumbai Indians 165/6 in 20 overs (Kerr 49, A Kaur 41; Pandey 2/30) by 22 runs.Stay updated with the latest sports news across Cricket, Football, Chess, and more. Catch all the action with real-time live cricket score updates and in-depth coverage of ongoing matches.© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd