The Gujarat Giants are prepared for their home debut in the Women’s Premier League’s third season when they play the reigning champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Friday at the brand-new BCA Stadium in Vadodara.
Before the game, captain Ashleigh Gardner and head coach Michael Klinger discussed their excitement about playing at home for the first time as well as their opinions on the team’s preparedness for the season.
“Gujarat Giants is the audience for our first three games.
Hopefully, supporters from all across the region will show up, wear orange, and cheer us on, not only from Baroda. We faced the Delhi Capitals in Delhi and the RCB in Bangalore last year, and both games drew sizable crowds. “If we can create the same atmosphere here, that would be fantastic,” Klinger remarked.
“We get to play in front of our home fans for the first time, which is exciting,” said Gardner, who will be leading the team for the first time. Hopefully, we can begin the season the way we truly want to, especially here at home, playing in front of our supporters, since I feel like we’ve established a really solid base with them.”
Gujarat Giants will also play the Mumbai Indians on February 18 and the UP Warriorz on February 16 in their home leg. Klinger commented, “The stadium looks fantastic, and from all reports, the wicket is really good—a proper batting wicket that will hopefully produce a lot of runs, mainly for our team, but either way, it’ll make for exciting cricket for the crowd.”
The 27-year-old Australian all-rounder responded, “With the team we have at the moment, I think we can play some really competitive and exciting cricket, which is really cool,” when asked about his expectations for the season.
Klinger, meantime, disclosed that the team will enter the tournament with an aggressive strategy.
“I believe you can anticipate some aggressive cricket. With our current batting depth and firepower, I believe we have the team to play with extreme aggression. We have specific goals that we hope to accomplish, and playing entertaining cricket is undoubtedly one of them.
“But above all, I want people to perceive us as a vibrant, enthusiastic group. Since that is a non-negotiable for us, that will be most noticeable in our fielding,” he said.
On February 14, the Gujarat Giants will play the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Vadodara’s BCA Stadium.
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