By Utkarsh Rathour
Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], August 12 : UP Warriorz head coach Abhishek Nayar said the team's ongoing pre-season camp is serving as both an assessment exercise and a platform to define player roles ahead of the upcoming Women's Premier League (WPL) season, while also providing an opportunity to identify young talent who can add value to the squad.
The UP Warriorz are currently conducting a pre-season training camp in Bengaluru from August 10 to 13, with several members, including Trisha G, Shikha Pandey, Asha Shobhana, and Kiran Navgire, taking part.
Nayar said the camp is aimed at assessing players' progress during the off-season while also clarifying their roles ahead of the new WPL season.
"I think it's a pre-season camp and also a sort of a trial. One, evaluating our players and seeing a lot of the things that we discussed at the end of the season, and some of the feedback that we gave our players, to see if the kind of work that they've put in in the last couple of months to become better," Nayar told ANI.
"Then, obviously, try to create a roadmap ahead from now till the upcoming WPL as to what we think they can do in their roles. So it's more to give that clarity, and then also a sort of a trial to see some new young players who we think can add more value to the UP Warriorz camp," the 42-year-old added.
UP Warriorz endured another difficult WPL campaign in 2026, finishing at the bottom of the league table for the second successive season after securing just two wins from eight matches under captain Meg Lanning and head coach Nayar.
Reflecting on the previous WPL season, Nayar admitted that fielding was one of the areas that hurt the team in crucial moments. He also stressed the need for greater batting contributions from the Indian contingent, particularly in the absence of Australian batter Phoebe Litchfield, whose campaign was cut short in late January 2026 due to an acute quad injury.
"I think one of the things that really impacted us was our fielding. That was something that I felt that played a crucial part in us not being able to get over the line in certain games," he said.
"And then there was an obvious chink in the armour where we didn't really get a lot of runs once Phoebe was not with us. Barring Phoebe Litchfield, we didn't have a lot of runs from our Indian players," Nayar added.
"So it's hopefully trying to get that in a better place. So those are the two areas that I felt we could definitely get better at, and picking up new wickets, picking up wickets with the new ball was also something that we feel we would try to get hopefully better at as a team," he said.
The franchise has also strengthened its scouting setup with former India cricketer Neetu David coming on board as chief scout. Nayar believes David's experience in women's cricket and knowledge of the domestic circuit will help the Warriorz identify more Indian talent ahead of the auction.
"I think from a standpoint of trials and a lot of the girls that they've identified over the year and feel that there is enough talent, I think just providing us with enough options before we get into the auction is something that I'm looking forward to from Neetu and seeing how even her experience in women's cricket can add value to us sort of making the right choices in regards to Indian players," Nayar said.
The coaching staff at Bengaluru's pre-season camp includes Nayar, Saurabh B. and Lisa Sthalekar, while Neetu is also attending as part of the franchise's preparations.
The camp is expected to provide the Warriorz with an early opportunity to assess their existing squad, identify emerging domestic talent and establish player roles before the team moves into the next phase of its WPL preparations.
For Nayar, the former Indian cricketer is currently serving as the head coach of both Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL and UP Warriorz in the WPL. He took charge of the Warriorz ahead of the 2026 season, succeeding Jon Lewis, and has previously served as an assistant coach with the Indian men's national team.