Ahead of their season opener on March 04 (Saturday), Gujarat Giants suffered a major blow as star West Indian all-rounder Deandra Dottin was ruled out of the Women's Premier League (WPL) due to a 'medical situation'. The franchise has named Australian all-rounder Kim Garth as Dottin's replacement. Gujarat had forked out a sum of Rs 60 lakh to acquire Dottin's services for the inaugural edition of the WPL.
Meanwhile, Garth was part of the Australian side that recently clinched the women's T20 World Cup title inn South Africa. The Aussie all-rounder didn't attract any bids in WPL auction and remained unsold.
“The Adani Gujarat Giants have had to call for a replacement player just before the start of the inaugural edition of the 2023 Women’s Premier Leaguem,” Gujarat Giants said in a statement.
“Ace West Indies all-rounder Deandra Dottin is recovering from medical situation and has been replaced by Australian pace bowler Kim Garth. The Adani Gujarat Giants wish Deandra a speedy recovery, and welcome the talented Kim Garth," the statement added.
Gujarat will be play the first-ever match of WPL against Mumbai Indians. Not having Dottin for the entire tournament is a major blow for Gujarat. The West Indian all-rounder is vastly experienced when it comes to playing franchise cricket. She was also the part of the West Indies side that won the 2016 T20 World Cup in India.
Gujarat Giants' full schedule:
March 4- Gujarat Giants vs Mumbai Indians- DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai- 7:30 pm
March 5- UP Warriorz vs Gujarat Giants- DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai- 7:30 pm
March 8- Gujarat Giants vs Royal Challengers Bangalore- Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai- 7:30 pm
March 11- Gujarat Giants vs Delhi Capitals- DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai- 7:30 pm
March 14- Mumbai Indians vs Gujarat Giants- Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai- 7:30 pm
March 16- Delhi Capitals vs Gujarat Giants- Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai- 7:30 pm
March 18- Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Gujarat Giants- Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai- 7:30 pm
March 20- Gujarat Giants vs Delhi Capitals- Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai - 3:30 pm
Gujarat Giants' full squad: Ashleigh Gardner, Beth Mooney (captain), Sophia Dunkley, Annabel Sutherland, Harleen Deol, Kim Garth, Sneh Rana, S Meghana, Georgia Wareham, Mansi Joshi, Dayalan Hemalatha, Monica Patel, Tanuja Kanwer, Sushma Verma, Hurley Gala, Ashwani Kumari, Parunika Sisodia, Shabman Shakil.
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