Chamari Athapaththu set to be part of UP Warriorz as replacement of Lauren Bell for WPL 2024

Chamari Athapaththu has replaced Lauren Bell in the UP Warriorz squad for the WPL 2024. The star player from Sri Lanka has gotten an opportunity to play in the WPL for the 1st time. Bell pulled out of WPL 2024 as she wanted to focus on the series against New Zealand. Hence, Chamari was brought in as her replacement for a price of INR 30 lakhs.

Chamari got unsold during the WPL auction in 2024. It was one of the most surprising moments in the auction given how good the player from Sri Lanka is. On her day, the Southpaw can singlehandedly win the matches for her side. The star player will be looking forward to playing her first match in the league. After getting picked by UP, Chamari reacted.

The Sri Lankan player hoped to give her best as a player for UP Warriorz. Chamari hoped to work closely with the Head coach of the franchise. She added that working with the likes of some of the players in the dugout like Alyssa Healy would be a worthy lesson for her. The star player added that she would be doing everything in her might to try and help the side to win the title.

‘UP Warriorz is a strong squad’ – Chamari Athapaththu

Chamari concluded by saying that WPL is a dynamic tournament and felt that UP Warriors have a strong squad. “I look forward to giving my best to the team and working closely with head coach Jon Lewis and skipper Alyssa Healy and help my team lift the coveted title. The WPL is a very dynamic tournament, and the UP Warriorz is a strong squad,” said the Sri Lankan.

Last year, Chamari scored 470 runs in 16 T20Is at a batting average of over 31, at a batting SR of over 131. However, given the dynamics of the WPL auction, she went unsold like many other great players. In the BBL 2023, Chamari scored 552 runs and picked crucial wickets with the ball at an economy of just 6.83 to end the league as the Player of the Tournament.