Gujarat officially appoint 190-match Australian veteran as new captain; Indian stars sidelined
Gujarat Giants visited their former captain Ashleigh Gardner and announced her as the captain for the upcoming WPL season. She was previously replaced by her Australian teammate Beth Mooney, who now replaces her as the team’s official captain.
The first-ever mega-auction in the history of the Women’s Premier League in India took place recently, and each team almost reshuffled their squad and could only retain a handful of players. Gujarat Titans have made some strange decisions in parting ways with Laura Wolvaardt, Deandra Dottin and rising Indian sensation Harleen Deol.
Despite several new inclusions in the team, the Giants took a long time to announce their captain for the upcoming season, and they returned to their former captain for the role. The WPL 2026 schedule has been announced and the Giants will kick off their campaign against the UP Warriorz on January 10.
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Gujarat Giants officially hand over captaincy to Australian all-rounder
WPL franchise Gujarat Giants have officially handed over the captaincy to Australian star all-rounder Ashleigh Gardner for the next edition of the WPL in 2026. The recent development was confirmed through an official post on X.
Ashleigh Gardner was one of the two players retained by the Gujarat Giants before going into the auction. Having played 25 WPL games for the Giants, Gardner also led them last season and took the team to the round of 16 with 4 wins in 8 games.
Hired for a whopping INR 3.50 crores, Ash Gardner will remain one of the three most expensive players in the WPL 2026.
“OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT. Experience in his stride. Belief in his voice. Ash Gardner once again becomes our CAPTAIN, ready to take us to glory,” GG tweeted.
🎺 OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
Experience in its stride.
Believe in his voice. ❤️🔥Ash Gardner returns once again as CAPTAIN, ready to take us to glory. 🧡✊#GujaratGiants #Bring it #Adani #GameOnGujaratStrong #TATAWPL pic.twitter.com/peivWRCSBx
– Gujarat Giants (@Giant_Cricket) December 29, 2025
Ashleigh Gardner’s WPL career at a glance
In 25 WPL matches for Gujarat Giants over the last three seasons, the great Australian all-rounder has amassed 567 runs and picked 25 wickets with the ball. Considered a true veteran of the format, Gardner has played 282 T20 matches in her career.
The 28-year-old cricketer has so far played for Australia, Gujarat Giants, Trent Rockets and Sydney Sixers in franchise level cricket globally. In such an illustrious career, he scored 5,091 runs and picked 242 wickets, which is a milestone in women’s cricket.
In his first season as captain of Gujarat Giants, Ash Gardner led his team to the eliminators, but they were defeated by Mumbai Indians. Recently, she was seen in the WBBL for the Sydney Sixers, where she finished with 143 runs and 19 wickets in 10 matches.
Gujarat Giants revamped their squad with major deals for ex-RCB players
The Giants also reorganized their team like many other franchises. However, in a shocking feat, they let their best players leave, including Laura Wolvaardt, Deandra Dottin, Harleen Deol and Phoebe Litchfield.
Instead, the Giants management looked to invest heavily in former RCB cricketers. They pulled out all the stops to bring in veteran New Zealand all-rounder Sophie Devine and Australian spinner Georgia Wareham. Wareham was one of the highest wicket-takers last season.
Moreover, players like England’s Danny Wyatt and Mumbai Indians wicketkeeper Yastika Bhatia could strengthen their batting. RCB’s Renuka Singh and Kanika Ahuja and new arrivals Anushka Sharma and Rajeshwari Gayakwad could all prove to be crucial picks for the Giants.
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