Lauren Bell withdraws from WPL, replaced by Chamari Athapaththu

Bell has opted to prepare for England's upcoming tour of New Zealand; indeed, she is set to depart for Desert Springs on Sunday for a seam-bowling camp

England seamer Lauren Bell has withdrawn from the upcoming Women's Premier League and has been replaced by Chamari Athapaththu at UP Warriorz.

Bell has opted to prepare for England's upcoming tour of New Zealand; indeed, she is set to depart for Desert Springs on Sunday for a seam-bowling camp.

England are set to leave for New Zealand at the end of February, with the series beginning on March 19, two days after the WPL final is due to be played.

This comes ahead of the T20 World Cup later this year in Bangladesh, where England are unlikely to take with them a large battery of seamers.

UP Warriorz, led by England head coach Jon Lewis, have not opted for a like-for-like replacement, but in Athapaththu have picked up one of the form players in the world.

^{Chamari Athapaththu has been playing in New Zealand's Super Smash (Joe Allison/Getty Images)}

It was a surprise when the Sri Lanka captain missed out on a deal at the auction, having enjoyed a stellar year, which included being named as player of the tournament in the Women's Big Bash and more recently as the ICC's ODI player of the year.

She has been acquired at her base price, approximately £28,000.

"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," said Athapaththu. "The WPL is a very dynamic tournament, and the UP Warriorz is a strong squad."