WPL 2023: Gujarat Giants Appoint Australia’s Beth Mooney as Captain

WPL 2023: Beth Mooney has won Australia's Women's Big Bash League on three occasions.

Women's Premier League: Beth Mooney will lead Gujarat Giants in WPL 2023.

(Photo: BCCI)

The Adani Group-owned Gujarat Giants appointed Australia's Beth Mooney as the captain, while Indian all-rounder Sneh Rana has been named the vice-captain of the team ahead of the inaugural edition of the Women's Premier League (WPL), which commences on 4 March.

Touted to be one of the most dominating wicket-keeper-batters in the game, Mooney and her team Australia successfully brought home the ICC Women's T20 World Cup in 2018, 2020 and 2023 along with the Women's ODI World Cup in 2022 and the Gold medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

Mooney, who has thrice won the Women's Big Bash League, is one of the few batters in the women's T20 to have scored multiple centuries, with two to her name, along with 17 half-centuries.

She is one of the most reliable members of the Australian women's team and has played more than 83 games and scored 2,350 runs so far in her career, including a 74 not out in the final of the Women's T20 World Cup 2023 which earned her 'Player of the Match' award.

"I am delighted to be given the opportunity to lead the Adani Gujarat Giants in the historic Women's Premier League's inaugural edition in 2023," said Beth Mooney, Captain, Adani Gujarat Giants in a media release, issued by the franchise.

"The squad is keen to get the ball rolling soon and put out an entertaining and effective brand of cricket in the debut season of WPL which will hopefully lead us to the trophy. It will be absolutely fantastic to have the likes of Sneh as my deputy and Mithali Raj, Rachael Haynes and Nooshin Al Khadeer as pivotal parts of the team," she added.

On the other hand, vice-captain Sneh Rana is currently one of the most recognized faces in Indian cricket and a crucial player in the national team. The off spinner is known for her tenacity and picking up important wickets whenever she is on the field.

Rana is also known for her ability to dry up the runs for the opposition batters. The Dehradun born spinner, who has previously turned out for Velocity in the Women's T20 Challenge, has played 25 games in T20Is and bagged 24 wickets with an economy rate of 6.21.

"Being the vice-captain of the Adani Gujarat Giants is a huge responsibility and I am keenly looking forward to putting up a great show for the debut edition of the Women's Premier League," said Sneh.

"Along with captain Beth Mooney, I hope to lead a strong and talented squad during the tournament," she added.

Both Mooney and Rana Are Well-Established: Rachael Haynes

Speaking on the two appointments, Gujarat Giants' head coach Rachael Haynes said "It is great to have the likes of Beth Mooney as our captain and Sneh Rana as the vice-captain. Both players are very well-established, and I expect that the team will put their best foot forward. We are excited for our new innings."

The Gujarat Giants will be playing their first match on the opening day of the league itself when they take on the Mumbai Indians.

Gujarat Giants Squad: Beth Mooney (Captain), Sneh Rana (Vice-Captain), Ashleigh Gardner, Sophia Dunkley, Annabel Sutherland, Harleen Deol, Deandra Dottin, S Meghana, Georgia Wareham, Mansi Joshi, Dayalan Hemalatha, Monica Patel, Tanuja Kanwer, Sushma Verma, Hurley Gala, Ashwani Kumari, Parunika Sisodia, Shabman Shakil.