WPL 2025: UP Warriorz name Chinelle Henry as injured Alyssa Healy's replacement

Alyssa Healy opted to skip the third edition of the Women's Premier League (WPL) as she hopes to recover from a stress injury to her right foot. The Australian captain has her sights set on the Women's ODI World Cup which is set to be played in India later this year. She announced her decision to skip the upcoming season of the WPL after helping Australia become the first team to complete a Women's Ashes whitewash.

Healy was set to lead the UP Warriorz for the third consecutive season. However, after she announced her decision to give WPL 2025 a miss, Warriorz's management acted swiftly and named West Indies cricketer Chinelle Henry as her replacement.

Henry is a seam-bowling all-rounder, who has the experience of playing 49 ODIs and 62 T20Is for the West Indies. She has scored 559 and 473 runs in the two formats, respectively. The 29-year-old also has 32 and 22 wickets in ODIs and T20Is, respectively.

Also Read: WPL 2025: Alyssa Healy opts to skip third season to recover from foot injury

Henry will add a lot of variety to the UP Warriorz setup, especially with her all-around skills. Her experience will also come in handy for the franchise.

Her most recent appearance in T20I cricket came against India in Navi Mumbai in December 2024. She bowled two overs with the new ball and picked up the wicket of Uma Chetry in the third T20I. Meanwhile, with the bat, Henry smashed 43 off just 16 balls, hitting three fours and four sixes. She didn't get a game during the subsequent white-ball series at home against Bangladesh.

WPL 2025 is set to commence on Friday, February 14, as defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru face Gujarat Giants in Vadodara. The UP Warriorz will be in action on February 16 when they take on Gujarat at the same venue. Deepti Sharma or Tahlia McGrath could be named as Warriorz's captain in Healy's absence.