Big blow for Gujarat Giants as star all-rounder to be out of action due to minor injury

Gujarat Giants all-rounder Anushka Sharma is set to be out of action for a short period of time as she has sustained a minor injury in the Women's Premier League (WPL) 2026. She wasn't included in the side's playing XI for their clash against the Mumbai Indians (MI) on Tuesday and was seen wearing a strapping on her right hand.

Anushka had sustained the injury while fielding in the match against the Delhi Capitals (DC) on January 11, Sunday. Despite of the injury setback, the Giants expect her to be back in action soon.

"Anushka is under the close supervision of the team's medical staff and is progressing well. She will be a big miss for the side, but her health and long-term well-being remain our priority," the Gujarat Giants said in a statement.

Anushka's stunning WPL debut

Anushka had been a part of the Giants' playing XI for their first and second match in the ongoing edition of WPL. She had made a strong impression on her debut and had played an impressive knock of 44 runs from 30 deliveries against the UP Warriorz. The 22-year-old had also formed a massive 103-run partnership in the process with skipper Ashleigh Gardner. The two helped the Giants in posting a formidable total of 207/4 that they eventually went on to defend as the Warriorz fell 10 runs short.

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Anushka had gotten dismissed cheaply for 13 runs against DC, but the side had still went on to post a humongous total of 209 runs on the board thanks to a phenomenal knock of 95 by Sophie Devine. The Delhi-based franchise came quite close to the target, but eventually lost by a difference of just four runs as the Giants made it two wins from as many games. It remains to be seen if they will be able to continue this form in their upcoming games as well.

Anushka's price at the auction

Meanwhile, Anushka had been signed by the Giants for a fee of INR 45 lakh at the WPL auction. She had given some eye-catching performances with the bat in the Madhya Pradesh Women's League and thus, had attracted interest from multiple teams during the auction. Her base price of INR 10 lakh moved up quite a bit after several bids and the Gujarat-based franchise eventually roped the player.