New Delhi: Gujarat Giants have made a major leadership change ahead of the third edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL), beginning later this month. The Giants, who finished bottom of the five-team table in the previous two editions, are hoping that a new leader will reverse their fortunes in the WPL 2025, which starts on February 14.
The Giants team management have named Australia all-rounder Ashleigh Gardner as the new captain of franchise. The 27-year-old will replace another Australian stalwart Beth Mooney, who was axed from the leadership role and will focus only on her batting.
🚨 Captain Announcement 🚨
Ashleigh Gardner is the 🆕 Gujarat Giants Captain Ⓒ and will lead the team from #TATAWPL 2025 onwards 👌@Giant_Cricket pic.twitter.com/x8CUVHY0Oq
— Women’s Premier League (WPL) (@wplt20) February 5, 2025
GG aiming to revive WPL chances with new leadership
The third edition of the premier women’s T20 competition will kick-off on Valentine’s Day with Gujarat Giants taking on defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Gardner has emerged as a key figure in the Australian set-up since making her debut in 2017. She has featured in 95 T20Is and has amassed 1400 runs in the shortest format. She has also picked up 78 wickets with her off-spin.
Gardner is the recipient of the Belinda Clark Award, a prestigious trophy in Australian women’s cricket. She was instrumental in Australia’s gold-winning performance at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, and was named “Player of the Tournament” at the T20 World Cup in South Africa in 2023.
For Gujarat Giants, Gardner has scored 324 runs and bagged 17 wickets in the two editions.
“It is an absolute honour for me to be named the captain of Gujarat Giants. I have loved being a part of this team and I am excited to lead this fantastic group in the upcoming season,” Gardner said in a release.
Meanwhile, GG coach Michael Klinger hailed Gardner as a fierce competitor and inspirational figure, qualities which made her an ideal choice to captain Gujarat Giants.
WPL 2025: Aiming to revive their Women’s Premier League chances, Gujarat Giants have named a new captain ahead of the third edition of the premier T20 tournament. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
