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Women's Premier League franchise Gujarat Giants appointed star Australia batter Beth Mooney as the team's skipper and off-spinner Sneh Rana has been given the role of vice-captain ahead of the second edition.
The Gujarat side will play their opening fixture of the competition against Mumbai Indians on February 25 at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The wicketkeeper-batter asserted that she is grateful to the team as they have once again trusted her. "I am delighted to be back with Gujarat Giants and grateful for the team's trust in me. We have a fantastic squad, and I am confident we will put up a good show. It is good WPL will be played in Bengaluru and New Delhi, which are new to the tournament," said Mooney after the announcement. The star India all-rounder stated that the second season of WPL will be another festival of cricket. "The second season of WPL will be another festival of cricket. That Beth is back as a skipper is fantastic news, and I will do everything I can to support her. The squad is well-balanced, and we are in a good place as a team," said Rana. Mooney was appointed captain of Gujarat Giants in the inaugural season of WPL as well. However, she had to leave the tournament after the first game due to an injury. Mooney is one of the best batters in international T20 cricket. In addition to being part of the team that won the T20 World Cup in 2014, 2018, 2020 and 2023, she was also in the squad that won the 2022 ODI World Cup and Gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. In December 2017, she won both the inaugural ICC T20I Player of the Year and Emerging Player of the Year awards. She was named Wisden's Leading Woman Cricketer in the World in 2021 and 2022. Her 24 half-centuries are the second-most by a batter in T20I cricket. She was also the fastest women's cricketer to reach 2,000 runs in the shortest format of the game. Coming to Rana, she is one of India's top cricketers. The cricketer made her ODI and T20I debut against Sri Lanka in 2014, and in Tests against England in 2021. In season 1 of the WPL, she was named the skipper of Gujarat Giants following Mooney's injury and bagged 6 wickets in 7 innings. She was part of the team that won Silver for India at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. (ANI)
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