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The Lucknow-based Women's Premier League (WPL) franchise, owned by Capri Global Holdings, will be called as 'UP Warriorz' and Jon Lewis, Anju Jain, Lisa Sthalekar and Ashley Noffke will be part of its support staff in different capacities.
Lewis, who is currently serving as the head coach of England's senior women's national side will be the head coach of the UP side. Former Indian skipper Anju Jain will serve as the assistant coach of the side. Noffke, who has been a part of women's cricket coaching for years, will be the bowling coach for the side. Sthalekar, an Australian cricket great with over 3,000 international runs, will be the mentor for the team. Lewis said in a statement that he expects time with the side "to be a fascinating insight into the depth of cricket in India and a high-octane ride for the next couple of months". "The WPL is a huge step forward for women's cricket globally and I am excited to be an integral part of this journey," he said as quoted by ESPNCricinfo. "Having Anju Jain, Ashley Noffke and Lisa Sthalekar who bring in a diverse set of experiences to the dugout can only make the task a whole lot easier," added Lewis. Lewis played top-flight cricket in England for almost two decades before he took up coaching. He played for counties like Gloucestershire, Surrey and Sussex. He also represented England in a Test, 13 ODIs and two T20Is. The inaugural edition of WPL will be played in Mumbai from March 4 to 26 across two Mumbai venues and the player auction for the same will be held on February 13. The Lucknow-based team was bought by Capri for INR 757 crore at the auction on January 25. A total of 409 players will go under the hammer during the auction of the inaugural edition of Women's Premier League (WPL), which will be taking place on February 13, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced on Tuesday. A total of 1,525 players registered for the inaugural Women's Premier League Player Auction and the final list was pruned to 409 players. Out of 409 players, 246 are Indians and 163 are overseas players of which 8 players are from associate nations. The total capped players are 202, uncapped players are 199 and 8 are from associate nations. A maximum of 90 slots are available with the five teams, with 30 being slotted for overseas players. Rs 50 lakh is the highest reserve price with 24 players choosing to be slotted in the highest bracket. Team India Captain Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Deepti Sharma and India's Under-19 T20 World Cup-winning captain Shafali Verma are among the few Indians who have slotted themselves in the highest bracket. 13 overseas players have also slotted themselves under the Rs 50 lakh reserve price with the likes of Ellyse Perry, Sophie Ecclestone, Sophie Devine & Deandra Dottin to name a few. 30 players are on the auction list with a base price of Rs 40 Lakh. The Auction will start at 14:30 IST. The five franchises were acquired by the owners of the three IPL teams--Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Delhi Capitals--along with Adani Group and Capri Global for a total of INR 4669.99 crore (about USD 572.78 million). This represents the largest deal ever made in women's cricket. The successful bidders were announced on January 25. (ANI)
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