Gujarat Giants suffered a major blow in the middle of ongoing Women's Premier League (WPL) 2023 as their skipper Beth Mooney has been ruled out of the remainder of the tournament. Meanwhile, India's star Sneh Rana has been appointed Gujarat Giants' skipper for the rest of WPL 2023.
Mooney picked up calf strain while batting in the second innings of the match between the Gujarat Giants and the Mumbai Indians at the DY Patil Stadium on March 4.
With Mooney out of the scene, Gujarat Giants drafted in Laura Wolvaardt, the South African opener who had recently played a key role for hosts South Africa in the 2023 Women’s T20 World Cup.
Wolvaardt, who was featuring in the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) Women’s League exhibition matches, was released by her ‘Super Women’ team on Wednesday. South Africa captain Sune Luus will replace her in the tournament.
Meanwhile, Gujarat franchise's mentor and advisor Mithali Raj said,"The Gujarat Giants squad would like to wish captain Beth Mooney a speedy recovery. She is one of the legends of the game and the team will miss her energy in the camp. But looking ahead, the Gujarat Giants would like to extend a warm welcome to the explosive South African Laura Wolvaardt. We look forward to witnessing many boundaries and sixes from her bat through the rest of the WPL season".
Earlier while ruing her ouster from the WPL 2023, Beth Mooney said, “I was really looking forward to the maiden WPL season ... but unfortunately injuries are part and parcel of the sport and I am gutted to be missing the remainder of the season”.
“I will be keeping a close eye on the team’s performance from afar and will be rooting for them every single day. Though I will be away from the field of play for the rest of the season, I am looking forward to coming back stronger, fitter and I will definitely be hungrier next season,” she said about Gujarat, who are fourth in the five-team league after one win and two losses.
After losing to Mumbai Indians and UP Warriorz, GG won their first game in WPL 2023 on Wednesday against Royal Challengers Bangalore. Gujarat Giants will next take on the Delhi Capitals on March 11 at the DY Patil Stadium.
Gujarat Giants squad: Sneh Rana (Captain), Ashleigh Gardner (Vice-Captain), Laura Wolvaardt, Sophia Dunkley, Annabel Sutherland, Harleen Deol, Kim Garth, S Meghana, Georgia Wareham, Mansi Joshi, Dayalan Hemalatha, Monica Patel, Tanuja Kanwer, Sushma Verma, Hurley Gala, Ashwani Kumari, Parunika Sisodia, Shabnam Shakil.
ALSO READ:
Watch: KS Bharat drops Travis Head's sitter catch off Umesh Yadav's bowling in Ahmedabad Test
