Less than 24 hours after being controversially retired out for 47, Harleen Deol answered in the loudest way possible. An unbeaten 64 that sealed UP Warriorz’s first win of WPL 2026, against defending champions Mumbai Indians, and kept their WPL 2026 playoffs chances alive.
On January 14, 2026, against Delhi Capitals, Harleen Deol was retired out on 47 off 36 balls in the 18th over as UP Warriorz Women looked for late “firepower”. The move didn’t work. UPW managed only 13 runs in the final three overs, finished on 154/8, and slid to a third straight defeat. The very next night, against Mumbai Indians, Harleen let her bat do the talking.
Harleen Deol Fires 3 Fours in 3 Balls To Start Innings
Chasing 162, UP Warriorz lost early wickets, and Harleen walked in after the fall of Meg Lanning and Kiran Navgire. What followed was a dramatic response. She immediately found the off-side gaps, sending a clear message through to the UP Wariorz dugout about her ability to hit quickly. Three boundaries in three different strokes off successive balls to start the innings, all along the off side.
- 6.6: cut for four
- 7.2: driven through cover for four
- 7.3: late dab past third for four
From there, Harleen controlled the middle overs, kept the asking rate in check, and allowed Chloe Tryon to finish the chase. UPW cruised home by seven wickets with 11 balls to spare, earning their first win of the season. Harleen finished 64 off 39 balls*, striking 12 fours, and was named Player of the Match.
Graceful Harleen Deol Plays Down Retired Out Controversy
Speaking after the game, Harleen played down the narrative and stressed process over perception.
“Actually yesterday too I was batting well,” Harleen said after the MI vs UPW game.
“As you saw today, how Chloe can change the scenario. I just took it that way. She’s someone who can hit big but that didn’t go our way. That’s how I look at it. Nothing different today. I just got a few boundary balls, sometimes it’s just your day.
“First two games didn’t go my way. I was overhitting earlier. This wasn’t the wicket to do that. In the first inns, wicket was tough to score. Then it got better, so we were just looking to hit and balls were coming by its own. I’m someone who looks at ways to contributing.”
Harmanpreet agreed that Harleen’s knock swung the game, stating that credit should go to her for the way she batted. She also admitted she was surprised to see Harleen retired out by UPW in the previous game, but felt the batter returned with a very positive mindset.
What began as a tactical experiment became a brief controversy. What followed was a textbook response innings, the kind teams quietly value the most. For UP Warriorz, it delivered their first points and kept their WPL 2026 qualification scenarios still open. For Harleen Deol, it settled the conversation the only way that matters.
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