3 players Gujarat Giants can appoint as captain for WPL 2023
The player auction for the inaugural edition of the Women's Premier League (WPL) took place on Monday, 13th February, with 448 players going under the hammer in Mumbai. With a purse of ₹12 crores, the five franchises assembled their squads from scratch to construct a squad of a minimum of 15 players.
One of these franchises was the Gujarat Giants, who completed their maximum quota with 18 players in the squad. They have Rachael Haynes at the helm as head coach with Mithali Raj and Nooshin Al Khadeer as mentor and bowling coach respectively. They are certainly in the hands of capable management that could prove to be vital when the tournament begins.
The Giants managed to pick up some high-profile players, with Ashleigh Gardner being the most expensive player of the lot at ₹3.2 crores. The likes of Deandra Dottin, Sophia Dunkley, and Harleen Deol were also in the mix, making the team appear like a well-rounded unit on paper.
However, a decision still hasn't been made on who will lead the side once the tournament gets underway.
With a few options available, we take a look at three players who could be appointed as the captain for Gujarat Giants in the WPL 2023.
#1 Sneh Rana
Sneh Rana is one of the most high-profile Indian signings the Giants made during the WPL auction. Apart from Harleen Deol, there aren't too many Indian options that have made a name for themselves at the highest level.
Rana has also been vice-captain of the Railways side in the domestic circuit. Playing under the leadership of Raj, the all-rounder often led the side in the captain's absence. With a number of Railways players in the Giants squad and the presence of Raj, Rana might be chosen as the skipper in WPL
#2 Ashleigh Gardner
The most expensive player on Giants' roster, Ashleigh Gardner could be one of the front runners to be the captain of the side. The 25-year-old all-rounder is never shy of taking responsibility, even for the national side. Despite her age, she is regarded as one of the leaders of that team and could bring the same confidence into the WPL.
In fact, she recently captained the Governor-General's XI in a 50-over contest against Pakistan last month. Gardner also took up the role of vice-captain in Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) 2022-23 for Sydney Sixers. With Rachael Haynes in the mix, who has known Gardner from time as the Australian vice-captain, it would be no surprise to see the all-rounder take up the role.
#3 Deandra Dottin
After her shock retirement from international cricket, Deandra Dottin won't have any other commitments to fulfill. That is usually the worry with appointing international captains, but with Dottin, there won't be any such issue.
Dottin's T20 credentials speak for themselves too, with the all-rounder looking to lead from the front more often than not. She did exactly that in the Women's Caribbean Premier League (CPL) last year, leading the Trinbago Knight Riders to glory in the inaugural edition of the tournament. With her as captain, the Giants will hope they can win the inaugural edition of the WPL too.