Gujarat Giants on February 5 announced Ashleigh Gardner as their new captain for the upcoming Women's Premier League (WPL) 2025. With just over a week to go in the WPL 2025 opener, Gardner succeeded her Australian teammate Beth Mooney as captain.
“It’s an absolute honour to captain Gujarat Giants. I have loved being part of this team, and I’m eager to lead this fantastic group. We have a great mix of youth and experience, along with immense Indian talent. I look forward to working with the squad and making our fans proud,” Gardner said after getting the leadership role.
Gujarat Giants head coach Michael Klinger lauded Gardner for her leadership qualities.
“Her ability to inspire and guide players makes her the ideal choice. We believe she will lead from the front,” he said.
Gardner will make her WPL 2025 captaincy debut in the season opener against Smriti Mandhana's RCB on February 14 at Kotambi Stadium, Vadodra.
In the previous edition, Gujarat Giants finished at the bottom of the table with just two wins from eight games. In the inaugural season, the were at the bottom with six losses and an inferior net run rate (NRR) to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).
Gardner's WPL numbers
Gardner is Gujarat Giants leading run-scorer. She has scored 324 runs from 16 innings at an average of 21.60 including two half-centuries. Her strike rate is 128.57. The 27-year-old is also their highest wicket-taker. The off-spinner has 17 wickets at an average of 27.33.
Gujarat Giants squad for WPL 2025:
Ashleigh Gardner (c), Beth Mooney, Dayalan Hemalatha, Harleen Deol, Laura Wolvaardt, Shabnam Shakil, Tanuja Kanwer, Phoebe Litchfield, Meghna Singh, Kashvee Gautam, Priya Mishra, Mannat Kashyap, Bharti Fulmali, Sayali Satghare, Deandra Dottin, Simran Shaikh, Danielle Gibson, Prakashika Naik