Gujarat Giants (GG) appoint veteran as new captain ahead of WPL 2026

Australia’s all-rounder, Ashleigh Garner, has been appointed as the new leader for the Gujarat Ginats ahead of the upcoming edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL), as the franchise declared on December 29. The 28-year-old has featured in 25 games for the franchise, having earned decent success with the bat.

Ashleigh Gardner has overall smashed 567 runs in 25 innings of the WPL at an average of over 30 and a strike rate of 141.75 with the help of five half-centuries at the best score of unbeaten 79 runs. In the previous edition of the event, the right-handed batter nailed 243 runs in nine innings at a strike rate of 164.18 with three fifties. With the ball, he bagged eight wickets in nine innings at an economy rate of just over eight.

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Gadner is a special player for Australia, having experienced an enormous success with the bat in the 50-over format as he clubbed 1654 ODI runs in 62 innings at an average of 33.08 and a strike rate of 111 with the help of three centuries and eight half-centuries at the best score of 115 runs.

Gujarat Giants appoint Ashleigh Gardner as new captain for WPL 2026

Gardner is one of the two players to be retained by the franchise for a price of INR 3.5 crore, while the opening batter, Beth Mooney, was also kept by the side for a price of INR 2.5 crore. The Giants expressed on social media, “Experience in her stride. Belief in her voice. Ash Gardner steps up once more as our CAPTAIN, primed to take us to glory.”

Gardner has been a three-time T20 Women’s World Cup winner and has been with the franchise since its inception in 2023. She helped the team to finish in third position in the previous edition, losing to eventual champion Mumbai Indians by 47 runs. They will hope for a better campaign next year.

The fourth edition of the WPL will be played across two legs, in Navi Mumbai and Vadodara, with the opening match set to be played at the D.Y. Patil Stadium. The Giants will start their journey against UP Warriorz in Navi Mumbai on January 10.