In a series of interesting events, former England cricketer Jon Lewis has opened up regarding the challenges he faced while serving as head coach of UP Warriorz in the Women's Premier League. Lewis claimed that the franchise's owners played a big role in shaping the squad, with their involvement in recruitment and team-building matters emerging as one of the major challenges during his stint.
Jon Lewis opens up on difficult UP Warriorz stint
Currently in charge of London Spirit Women in The Hundred, Lewis reflected on his three-year stint with the UP-based side in, which started when the WPL was launched in 2023. Tasked with putting together a competitive squad from scratch, he enjoyed early success with the franchise by guiding them to reach the playoffs in their maiden season.
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However, the next two seasons turned out to be very disappointing, as the Warriorz finished fourth and fifth in the five-team competition.
Lewis parted ways with UP Warriorz in 2025,bringing an end to his three-season spell with the side. In an interaction with Wisden Women's Cricket Weekly podcast, the former England international looked back on his time in the WPL and shed light on some of the difficulties he endured while handling the responsibilities of a head coach.
“In the WPL, I have had a different experience where the owners are closer to the team and sometimes to the selection of the team, to the point where, as a head coach, you aren’t always totally in control of the decisions that are being made," said Lewis.
While continuing, Lewis revealed that such challenges are quite hard to overcome, as you have to please and convince the owner about certain decisions during the team selections to grind the best possible combination.
“And that becomes really tricky from a coaching perspective. But at the end of the day, in that space you have got to try and convince the owner and you have got to be close enough to the owners that your way is the right way of doing it," added Lewis.
How UP Warriorz performed in WPL 2026?
UP Warriorz are owned by Capri Global Holdings Private Limited, which acquired the Lucknow-based WPL franchise ahead of the competition. Jinisha Sharma represents the ownership group in the franchise's sporting affairs, overseeing its investments and operations.
In the 2026 edition, the UP Warriorz endured a disappointing campaign by finishing last in the standings with just two wins from eight games, despite being led by legendary Australian skipper Meg Lanning. The current head coach of the team is Abhishek Nayar.