Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], January 28 (ANI): UP Warriorz (UPW) have signed England wicketkeeper-batter Amy Jones as an injury replacement for Australia's Phoebe Litchfield for the remainder of the Women's Premier League (WPL) 2026 season.

Litchfield has been ruled out due to a quad injury and has returned to Australia to begin rehabilitation ahead of the upcoming home series against India, which begins on February 15.

The 22-year-old Litchfield had been in impressive form for UP Warriorz, finishing her campaign as the team's leading run-scorer and the third-highest across all teams this season. She accumulated 243 runs in six matches, playing a key role at the top of the order.

Jones, who went unsold at the WPL auction, has been picked up at her base price of INR 50 lakh, according to the league's official website. The experienced England international has represented her country in 125 T20 Internationals and 111 One-Day Internationals, scoring 1,666 runs in the shortest format.

UP Warriorz currently find themselves at the bottom of the WPL 2026 points table with the poorest net run-rate among the five teams. Their last outing ended in a 45-run defeat to Gujarat Giants on January 22.

With just two league matches remaining, UPW face a tough task to secure a playoff berth. They must win both their remaining fixtures and significantly improve their net run-rate. UPW will next take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Thursday, followed by a clash against Delhi Capitals (DC) on February 1.

Jones' inclusion is expected to bolster UPW's batting depth and provide experience at a crucial stage of the tournament.

UP Warriorz Updated Squad: Kiran Navgire, Meg Lanning (c), Amy Jones, Harleen Deol, Deepti Sharma, Deandra Dottin, Shikha Pandey, Shweta Sehrawat (wk), Sophie Ecclestone, Asha Sobhana, Kranti Gaud, Chloe Tryon, Charli Knott, Simran Shaikh, Shipra Giri, Pratika Rawal, Gongadi Trisha, Suman Meena. (ANI)