What's Deepti Sharma of UP Warriorz doing differently to Deepti Sharma of India?

All-rounder Deepti Sharma has been a classic case of a cricketer who has delivered special performances yet has left fans wanting more upon looking at her immense potential.

The ebbs and flows in form and the visible inconsistencies have transpired mainly in Deepti's batting, with her off-spin bowling as reliable as they come. Despite the apparent talent with the willow, the 26-year-old has only the lone century and 13 half-centuries across all formats in 194 games.

However, the 2024 WPL season seems to have finally unearthed the best version of the batter in Deepti Sharma, with the southpaw unleashing on the bowlers throughout the tournament. While the UP Warriorz has endured another inconsistent season with only three wins in eight matches, Deepti has undoubtedly been the shining light in an otherwise dim tunnel.

The sudden transformation has fans wondering what is different in the Bengal all-rounder's showing for her WPL franchise to those for Team India.

Here, we deep dive into three areas of the game where Deepti Sharma of the Warriorz has showcased a massive change and improvement compared to the player who has battled several issues for India.

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#1 Showcasing a hunger to convert starts into bigger scores

Women's Premier League - Mumbai Indians v UP Warriors

The most notable difference in Deepti Sharma's performances in the ongoing WPL compared to those for India is enhanced consistency and the ability to convert starts into game-changing scores.

Despite playing over eight years of T20Is, the 26-year-old has only two half-centuries in 104 outings. However, just this season for the UP Warriorz, she has more 50+ scores than that, with three in eight innings.

The Uttar Pradesh-born cricketer also averages 98.33 in WPL 2024, which is a remarkable upsurge from her T20I average of only 23.60.

What has been even more impressive is the five not-outs in the eight innings and the streak of three consecutive half-centuries she is currently riding, evidence of her new-found hunger for runs.

Deepti has also batted in the top five during each of the three half-centuries, yet even though she did the same in 27 T20I innings for India, there was only one 50+ score to show for.

The remarkable consistency means the all-rounder is currently on top of the run-scoring charts for WPL 2024, something not even the staunchest Indian fan would have dreamt of.

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#2 Massive upgrade in power-hitting and strike rate

WPL 2023 - UP Warriorz v Gujarat Giants

Considering her batting predominantly in the middle or lower middle order, Deepti Sharma has been criticized more for her strike rate and power-hitting ability than for consistency.

However, the southpaw has made massive strides in that aspect of her batting in the ongoing WPL season. In T20Is, Deepti has a below-par strike rate of under 105 despite batting in the latter half of the innings for the most part.

Her lack of a six-hitting game has proved costly for India in close and high-scoring games. In her 104 T20I games, Deepti has struck just seven maximums and has a sixes per-ball ratio of 0.007.

Cut to the present, and it is almost a different player altogether, as the 26-year-old has already smashed eight maximums in as many outings with a sixes per-ball ratio five times higher than her T20I record.

Another staggering rise is in the strike rate department, a crucial skill for middle-order batters. Deepti boasts an impressive strike rate of over 136 this WPL season, a meteoric increase from her 104.74 T20I rate.

Team India will hope the star all-rounder can carry forward this renewed version of T20 batting in the World Cup later this year.

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#3 Displaying a greater 'clutch gene' in crucial moments

Despite several excellent spells, Deepti struggled occasionally in the big moments.

Another major upgrade in the Deepti Sharma currently playing for the UP Warriorz has been her shining in clutch moments with bat and ball.

Her batting has been exemplary in all three wins despite facing different situations each time. In UP's first win of the season against the Mumbai Indians, Deepti came in at No.5, with the side still needing 64 runs off 56 deliveries.

However, the southpaw was unfazed and calmly scored 27* off 20 to finish the game and guide the side to a seven-wicket win. She made it two in two by helping UP win another tense run-chase, scoring 17* off 14 at No.6 when 53 runs were still required.

Deepti's most impactful moment of WPL 2024 came in UP's latest win against the Delhi Capitals. After scoring a vital 59 off 48 to help the side to a respectable 138/8 on a challenging wicket, the 26-year-old did the unthinkable with the ball.

The off-spinner picked up a game-winning hat-trick, with two of the three wickets coming in the first two balls of the 19th over when DC needed 15 to win. Deepti also bagged a third wicket in the over and conceded only five runs to help UP eventually pull off a one-run victory.

She became the first bowler to take a hat trick in WPL history and finished with other-worldly figures of 4/19 in four overs.

The ability to finish matches with bat and ball in the dying stages of T20 games hasn't always been Deepthi's strength, yet he has put those claims to bed, at least for the time being, with her heroics in the 2024 WPL.