The Gujarat Giants have decided to retain a total of two players ahead of the 2026 Women's Premier League (WPL) auction and both of them hail from Australia. They have retained their current captain Ashleigh Gardner for INR 3.5 crore and batter Beth Mooney for INR 2.5 crore. In WPL 2025, the franchise had made it to the playoffs for the first time under Gardner's leadership, so it will be a big surprise if she doesn't continue as the side's captain for the next season.
Wolvaardt and Deol released
On the other hand, the Giants have decided to release South Africa skipper Laura Wolvaardt, who was the highest-run getter of the Women's World Cup and scored centuries in both the semi-final and final. Other notable stars that the franchise released are India 's World Cup winner Harleen Deol, and Australia batter Phoebe Litchfield, who scored a brilliant hundred against India in the semi-final of the World Cup.
Due to only retaining two players, the Giants have a massive purse of INR 9 crore left. This is the second-highest auction purse after UP Warriorz, who decided to release every player in the team except for the uncapped Shweta Sehrawat for INR 50 lakh. The Gujarat-based franchise also have three Right to Match (RTM) cards under their belt.
Gujarat Giants' performance in WPL
Meanwhile, the Giants had forgetful WPL campaigns in both 2023 and 2024 as they finished rock-bottom on the points table and failed to qualify for the playoffs. Third time proved to be the charm for the franchise as they went on to finish third on the standing and qualified for the eliminator where they lost to eventual champions Mumbai Indians. They will be hoping to perfform well in the league stage in the fourth season of the tournament.
Players Retained: Ash Gardner (Rs. 3.5 Crore), Beth Mooney (Rs. 2.5 Crore)
Players Released: Bharti Fulmali, Danielle Gibson, Dayalan Hemalatha, Deandra Dottin, Harleen Deol, Kashvee Gautam, Laura Wolvaardt, Mannat Kashyap, Meghna Singh, Phoebe Litchfield, Prakashika Naik, Priya Mishra, Sayali Satghare, Shabnam Shakil, Simran Shaikh, Tanuja Kanwer.
Auction Purse Left: INR 9 Crore