UP Warriorz (UPW) is all set to face a significant setback in the middle of the ongoing Women’s Premier League 2025 (WPL 2025), as the Sri Lankan all-rounder Chamari Athapaththu will leave the tournament early to join the national team for their upcoming white-ball tour of New Zealand.
The Sri Lanka women’s national cricket team will play the white-ball series in New Zealand from March 4 in Napier, and Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has already ordered Chamari Athapaththu to leave the WPL 2025 for the national commitments.
Chamari Athapaththu set to leave WPL 2025 early for Sri Lanka’s tour of New Zealand
She has been named captain of the 16-member squad for the tour. This will be the second major blow for UP Warriorz (UPW), as they are already without their full-time captain Alyssa Healy due to injury in the ongoing Women’s Premier League 2025.
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And now Chamari Athapaththu is expected to be available for the UP Warriorz only until February 26, which means she can play four more matches in the ongoing WPL before she departs for the white-ball series against the White Ferns.
Athapaththu will play her last game for the UPW in the ongoing WPL 2025 against Mumbai Indians in Bengaluru. After this away game, UP Warriorz will head to Lucknow for the final league phase, where they will play three home matches without the Sri Lankan skipper.
Chamari Athapaththu is set to play four more games in the WPL 2025
Notably, UPW did not play Athapaththu in their opening match in the ongoing WPL 2025, where they suffered a crushing defeat against the Gujarat Giants in Lucknow. However, the franchise will now be keen on making the most of the Sri Lankan star’s experience in the upcoming WPL games.
The Sri Lanka women’s national cricket team is set to depart for New Zealand on February 22, where they will play three ODIs and three T20Is next month. Meanwhile, New Zealand allrounder Amelia Kerr is the only player from her country to be available for the entire Women’s Premier League 2025.
Unlike Chamari Athapaththu, who will leave early for international duties, Amelia Kerr has decided to stay committed to the WPL and will play through the entire tournament, including the knockout stages if her team, Mumbai Indians (MI), qualifies.
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Amelia Kerr will miss NZ-W vs SL-W Series for WPL
If MI makes it to the WPL 2025 final on March 15, Kerr will miss New Zealand’s first two T20Is against South Africa, which will be played on March 14 and 16. Even last year, Kerr skipped New Zealand’s home T20I series against England to be available for the full duration of the WPL.
However, the Women’s Premier League will shift from its current February-March schedule to January-February in 2026, as per the new Women’s Future Tours Programme (FTP).
It is being said that separate windows have been allocated for the Hundred (in August) and the WBBL (in November) in the FTP until 2029 to prevent clashes with international series and other T20 leagues. Notably, the UPW will next take on Delhi Capitals in their second game in the ongoing WPL 2025 on February 19 (Wednesday).
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