Gujarat Giants have reunited with their former captain Ashley Gardner and announced him as the captain for the upcoming season of WPL. Earlier, her place was taken by Australian teammate Beth Mooney, who has now become the official captain of the team in her place.
The first mega-auction in the history of the Women’s Premier League in India was held recently, and each team virtually revamped its squad and could retain only a few players. Gujarat Titans made some strange decisions as they parted ways with Laura Wolvaardt, Deandra Dottin and rising Indian sensation Harleen Deol.
Despite several new inclusions in the team, it took a long time for the Giants to announce their captain for the upcoming season, and they returned to their former captain for the role. The WPL 2026 schedule has been announced, and the Giants will begin their campaign against UP Warriors on January 10.
Gujarat Giants officially handed over captaincy to Australian all-rounder
WPL franchise Gujarat Giants has officially handed over the captaincy to star Australian all-rounder Ashley Gardner for the upcoming edition of the WPL in 2026. The recent development was confirmed through an official X post.
Ashley Gardner was one of the two players who were retained by Gujarat Giants before going into the auction. Having played 25 WPL matches for the Giants, Gardner also led them last season and took the team to the knockouts with 4 wins from 8 matches.
Retained at a whopping price of Rs 3.50 crore, Ash Gardner will be one of the three most expensive players in WPL 2026.
“Official announcement. Experience in his stride. Confidence in his voice. Ash Gardner has once again stepped up as our captain, ready to lead us to glory,” GG tweeted.
Official Announcement
Experience in its progress.
Trust his voice.Ash Gardner has once again stepped up as our captain, looking forward to leading us to glory.#GujaratDiggaj #bring it on #adani #GameOnGujaratStrong #TATAWPL pic.twitter.com/peivWRCSBx
– Gujarat Giants (@Giant_Cricket) 29 December 2025
Ashley Gardner’s WPL career at a glance
In 25 WPL games for Gujarat Giants in the last three seasons, the legendary Australian all-rounder has scored 567 runs and taken 25 wickets with the ball. Gardner, considered a true veteran of this format, has played 282 T20 matches in her career.
The 28-year-old cricketer has so far played for Australia, Gujarat Giants, Trent Rockets and Sydney Sixers in franchise-level cricket globally. In such an illustrious career, she scored 5091 runs and took 242 wickets, which is a big milestone in women’s cricket.
In his first season as Gujarat Giants captain, Ash Gardner led his team to the Eliminator, but they lost to Mumbai Indians. Recently, he was seen in the WBBL for Sydney Sixers, where he scored 143 runs and 19 wickets in 10 matches.
Gujarat Giants made changes in their team by bidding big on former RCB players
Like many other franchises, the Giants also made changes to their team. However, in a shocking feat, he let go of his best players, including Laura Wolvaardt, Deandra Dottin, Harleen Deol and Phoebe Litchfield.
Instead, the Giants management looked to invest heavily in former RCB cricketers. They were making every effort to bring in experienced New Zealand all-rounder Sophie Devine and Australian spinner Georgia Wareham. Wareham was one of the leading wicket-takers last season.
Apart from this, players like England’s Danny Wyatt and Mumbai Indians wicketkeeper Yastika Bhatia can strengthen their batting. Renuka Singh and Kanika Ahuja from RCB and newcomers Anushka Sharma and Rajeshwari Gaikwad could all become important picks for the veterans.
Also read: Cricket Australia removes Pat Cummins as captain, announces ‘best Test XI of 2025’
