Led by Alyssa Healy and Deepti Sharma in the first three seasons, the UP Warrirorz (UPW) have not been able to clinch the Women's Premier League (WPL) so far.
Under the Englishman Jon Lewis in the role, Lewis had previously helped UPW reach the play-off of the inaugural season in 2023 before they finished 4th and 5th in the subsequent seasons.
Following the 2025 season, which they finished at the bottom of the table with only 3 wins in 8 matches, the board has decided to make some changes in the team, starting with the head coach.
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The newly appointed head coach will now be involved in the build-up for the upcoming season and strategize for the retentions and auctions as well.
Who is the new UP Warriorz head coach?
During his short coaching career, Nayar has won the Indian Premier League with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the 2024 season. Now, he’s appointed as the WPL team UP Warriorz head coach.
Over the past few years, the former Mumbai and India cricketer has developed a reputation for working with talent across the country and helping them realize their potential.
The coach is known for using modern coaching techniques to bring out the best out of the players, especially focusing on the mental drills.
Despite his cut-short stint with the Indian men's team, he has stood apart as one of the promising names among young coaches around.
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In recent years, Indian captain Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer, Dinesh Karthik, KL Rahul, Rinku Singh and KKR prodigy Angkrish Raghuvanshi have been among the names who have openly lauded the coach for working with them and improving their games significantly.
The COO and director of cricket at the UPW camp, Kshemal Waingankar, has also looked particularly excited upon the announcement of Nayar as their coach, as he remarked him as a coach with depth.
"Bringing Abhishek Nayar on board as head coach feels like a natural and exciting step forward for UP Warriorz. When someone of Abhishek's calibre became available, it was a no-brainer," he said.
"Few in Indian cricket bring the same depth of experience when it comes to shaping players and shaping winning cultures. In just the past 18 months alone, Abhishek has been part of three championship-winning campaigns, each in a different role, each leaving a lasting impact," he further stated.
Considering his significant experience with KKR and Trinbago Knight Riders in T20 league cricket, fans and the team will have huge expectations from him to improve their performances from the previous season.