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As the Women's Premier League gears up for a grand beginning, all the five cricket franchises have finalised their teams at the first-ever player auction, which took place on 13 February in Mumbai. Gujarat Giants owned by Adani Sportsline has signed up an exciting line-up including the likes of Ashleigh Gardner (Rs 3.2 crore), Beth Mooney (Rs 2 crore), Sneh Rana (Rs 75 lakh) and Harleen Deol (Rs 40 lakh).
After a heated bidding war, the Gujarat Giants opened their account with the pick of Australian all-rounder Ashleigh Gardner for INR 3.2 crore, the joint second-highest at the Auction. The three-time World Champion has been one of the pillars of strength for Australia and opened her 2023 T20 World Cup with a 5/12 against New Zealand. "This marks a new beginning for all of us associated with the Adani Sportsline-owned Gujarat Giants. My team and I are thrilled to leave the table feeling delighted with the squad we have put together. With all our bases covered, from here onwards we begin our preparation for the upcoming tournament," said Mithali Raj, mentor, and advisor for Gujarat Giants. Australian Beth Mooney came in for INR 2 crore for the Giants next. The 2-time T20 World Cup winner, Mooney has scored two centuries and 17 fifties in T20Is and has been one of the stars in the Women's BBL, helping the Brisbane Heat to back-to-back titles in 2018 and 2019, before moving to Perth Scorchers, where she helped them win their first title in 2021-22. The Giants' first Indian pick was Harleen Deol, whose famous catch at the boundary against England took the cricketing world by storm, is also a solid batter and quite useful with her spin bowling too. She was also part of the Indian team that won Silver at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. "The Gujarat Giants' squad looks solid for the inaugural edition of the Women's Premier League. We have an eclectic mix of Indian and international players, all of whom can turn a game on its head single-handedly. As a coach, I will always cherish this auction experience," said the team's head coach, Rachael Haynes. The Giants added a plethora of experience when they opened the doors for the West Indies all-rounder Deandra Dottin. The 31-year-old, with more than 100 caps for WI, has played franchise cricket in the UK, Australia and the Caribbean, apart from having turned for the Trailblazers and Supernovas in the Women's T20 Challenge. Dottin also boasts of best figures of 5/5 and two centuries in T20Is and is one of the stalwarts in the modern game and has played in every edition of the T20 World Cup from 2009 to 2020. The Adani Sportsline Owned Gujarat Giants squad has also brought in some very talented Indian players like Mansi Joshi, Dayalan Hemalatha, Sushma Verma and Tanuja Kanwer of whom have had significant performances in domestic cricket. Meanwhile, the squad also features the exciting 16-year-old all-rounder Hurley Gala, who was coached by Jemimah Rodrigues' father in Mumbai and was also part of the Indian U-19 side that won the T20 World Cup in 2023 January in South Africa. "The Gujarat Giants' squad is quite a well-balanced one and we have a strong set of young Indian players, who are waiting to write their names in the history books of the sport in this country. The youngsters will definitely benefit a lot from being around some of the best international cricketers, and we hope this process helps us unearth legends of the future," said Nooshin Al Khadeer, Bowling Coach of the Gujarat Giants team. The Gujarat Giants team ended the evening having assembled a strong and well-balanced squad of 18 players with 12 Indian and six overseas players. The team has four Australian players, one from England and another from West Indies. "As our first foray into the Women's Premier League, the Gujarat Giants' squad has the potential to leave an indelible mark on the matches ahead. The Giants have some of the finest coaches and mentors on board to ensure that the team carves a niche for themselves. As the eventful auction has come to an end, I'm really looking forward to the games," said Satyam Trivedi, Head, Adani Sportsline. The Gujarat Giants team is mentored by legendary cricketer Mithali Raj and has six-time world champion Rachael Haynes as the head coach. Nooshin Al Khadeer, coach of the Indian U-19 women's team that won the 2023 U-19 World Cup, is the bowling coach while all-rounder Tushar Arothe as their batting coach and Gavan Twining will be the fielding coach. The inaugural edition of the Women's Premier League will commence in Mumbai from March 4 - March 26, 2023. A total of 22 matches will be played at the Brabourne Stadium and at the D.Y. Patil Stadium. Gujarat Giants Squad: Ashleigh Gardner (3.2 Cr), Beth Mooney (2 Cr), Sophia Dunkley (60 Lakhs), Annabel Sutherland (70 Lakhs), Harleen Deol (40 Lakhs), Deandra Dottin (60 Lakhs), Sneh Rana (75 Lakh), S Meghana (30 Lakhs), Georgia Wareham (75 Lakhs), Mansi Joshi (30 Lakhs), Dayalan Hemalatha (30 lakhs), Monica Patel (30 lakhs), Tanuja Kanwer (50 lakhs), Sushma Verma (60 Lakhs), Hurley Gala (10 Lakhs), Ashwani Kumari (35 Lakhs), Parunika Sisodia (10 Lakhs), Shabnam Shakil (10 Lakhs). (ANI)
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