NewKerala.com

Key Points

Jon Lewis has stepped down as head coach of UP Warriorz after a disappointing WPL 2024 season. His exit follows his earlier departure from the England women’s team after a poor Ashes and T20 World Cup campaign. UP Warriorz thanked him for his leadership but now face a coaching search ahead of WPL 2026. Meanwhile, Charlotte Edwards has taken over as England’s head coach after leading Mumbai Indians to WPL success.

Key Points: Jon Lewis Exits UP Warriorz After England Women’s Coaching Stint

  • Lewis led UP Warriorz to playoffs in 2023 but finished poorly in 2024
  • Left England role after Ashes and T20 World Cup failures
  • Charlotte Edwards replaces him in England setup
  • UP Warriorz now seek new coach for WPL 2026
2 min read

After stepping down from England set-up, Jon Lewis leaves UP Warriorz head coach role

Jon Lewis steps down as UP Warriorz head coach after WPL struggles, following his earlier exit from England women’s cricket.

"Thank You, Coach Jon Lewis, for leading with heart, calm, and belief. – UP Warriorz"

New Delhi, June 27

Months after his exit from the England women’s set-up, Jon Lewis has now left his role as head coach of UP Warriorz (UPW) in the Women’s Premier League (WPL).

Lewis had been the side’s coach since the league’s inception in 2023 and under him, the team entered the playoffs in that season, before losing to eventual champions Mumbai Indians. But in 2024 season, UPW failed to enter the playoffs as they finished fourth in the points table.

In WPL 2025, UPW, led by India’s off-spin bowling all-rounder Deepti Sharma after regular skipper Alyssa Healy was unavailable due to a knee injury, ended at the bottom of the points table.

“From day one, you believed in us. Through the highs, the learnings, and everything in between — Thank You, Coach Jon Lewis, for leading with heart, calm, and belief. You’ll always be a part of the Warriorz Family,” wrote the franchise on its social media accounts on Friday.

Lewis, who played a Test, 13 ODIs and two T20Is for the England men’s team, had previously left the women's head coach role after the side suffered a 16-0 women's Ashes defeat in Australia, which came after their group-stage exit in the Women’s T20 World Cup in October last year.

England women’s head coach position, previously held by Lewis, has now been taken up by Charlotte Edwards, who guided Mumbai Indians to their second WPL title earlier this year before leaving the franchise.

The status of Lisa Sthalekar, the former Australia cricketer, continuing in the UPW team as mentor is yet to be known, while Anju Jain, the former India player who later coached Bangladesh, was not with the franchise from last year. It also means that ahead of WPL 2026, both MI and UPW will be hunting for a new head coach.

- IANS

Share this article:

Reader Comments

R
Rahul K.
Sad to see Lewis go, but honestly UP Warriorz performance was going downhill. Maybe time for fresh ideas? Hope they find a coach who understands Indian conditions better. Deepti Sharma did her best as stand-in captain though! 🇮🇳
P
Priya M.
WPL needs more Indian coaches! Why always foreign coaches for our teams? We have so much talent here who understand our players better. Just look at how well RCB did with Indian support staff this season.
A
Amit S.
Lewis had a decent first season but clearly couldn't adapt when things got tough. The team lacked consistency in batting order and bowling changes. Hope UP management does proper homework before hiring next coach.
S
Sunita R.
As a UP Warriorz fan, I'm disappointed but not surprised. The team never seemed to have proper strategy this season. Maybe they should consider someone like Jhulan Goswami as coach - she has great cricket brain and respect from players! 💪
V
Vikram J.
Interesting that both Lewis and Charlotte Edwards left their WPL teams after England appointments. Shows how women's cricket is growing globally! But franchises need more stability - can't have coaches changing every year.
N
Neha P.
The real issue is UP's weak domestic player base compared to MI or RCB. No coach can perform miracles if the core team isn't strong. They need to scout better local talent from UP cricket circuit for next season.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

Leave a Comment

Minimum 50 characters 0/50