With the selection of Ashleigh Gardner as their captain for the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 season, the Gujarat Giants have once again shown their support for the Australian all-rounder. Gardner, who captained the squad in WPL 2025, will continue to lead the team, according to the franchise’s confirmation. Ahead of the WPL 2026 major auction, the Australian was signed for INR 3.50 crore and will try to help the squad win their first WPL championship.
Since the beginning of the league in 2023, Gardner has been a part of the team. The Giants qualified for the Eliminator and placed third on the points table in WPL 2025 under her leadership, winning four of their eight games. Even though they were still unable to win the title, the team made improvement, thus the management decided to support Gardner once more for the 2026 campaign. The Gujarat Giants will play their first match of the 2026 WPL against the UP Warriorz on January 10 at the DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai. The league will start on January 9.
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Prior to the 2026 WPL, Gardner was retained for INR 3.50 crore.
Throughout the seasons, the Gujarat Giants’ top player has been the all-rounder. She has amassed 567 runs at a remarkable strike rate of 141.75 in 25 WPL games, including five half-centuries, and taken 25 wickets, making her the team’s top run scorer and wicket-taker. Gardner’s most successful batting season was in the WPL in 2025. She contributed eight wickets and amassed 243 runs at a strike rate of 164.18 in nine innings.
In preparation for WPL 2026, the team has further bolstered its roster. Along with Georgia Wareham and Danielle Wyatt, they were able to secure names like Sophie Devine for INR 2 crore at the major auction. Kashvee Gautam and Bharti Fulmali were brought back via the Right to Match option, while key players Beth Mooney and Gardner were kept. Renuka Singh was their largest acquisition among Indian players, while the team also signed young players like Titas Sadhu and Ayushi Soni.
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