Adani Sportsline-owned Gujarat Giants had an enthralling campaign in the 2023 Women's Premier League (WPL) season, which is currently ongoing in Mumbai. However, multiple injuries during the initial matches led the Giants to falling short in the race for a berth in the knockout stages of the historic tournament.
Former captain of the Indian women's national cricket team, Mithali Raj, who worked as a mentor of the Gujarat franchise, believe that there was a hunger to succeed, despite the setbacks.
“Honestly, we did put up a good team, but the results were not in our favour and the season didn’t go our way. We lost key players early on, and it dented our composition. But despite this hiccup the team stepped up and showed their grit and passion to win,” Mithali stated.
Talking about her debut stint as a head coach, Rachael Haynes said “This was certainly, an exciting and enriching experience for me as head coach for such a wonderful team. Undoubtedly, we had our tough moments, but the team put up a riveting performance and showed a lot of character during every match. We all are taking with us many positives and pivotal life-lessons from this inaugural session.
“As we take a step back and take a moment to pause and reflect at the season, it does hurt to lose out on key players before the end of the first game, and shuffling the deck in terms of playing combinations was not an easy decision, but this allowed every player to showcase their potential and we are happy about it," she further added.
WPL 2023: Gujarat Giants were coached by Rachael Haynes in the inaugural Women's Premier League season.
(Photo: BCCI)
Nooshin Al Khadeer Provides Explanation for Bowlers’ Struggles
Nooshin Al Khadeer, who worked as the bowling coach of the tea after guiding the Indian U-19 women's team to a historic World Cup triumph, said “I understand it has been tough for the bowlers but there are various factors that need to be factored in. The boundaries were shortened, and the pitches were batter-friendly, at least in the first leg of the tournament. But despite these obstacles, our bowlers have done a commendable job."
Although the results did not work out in their favour, Satyam Trivedi, the head of Adani Sportsline, claimed the intent to support women’s sporting ecosystem is loud and clear.
“This was the first commercial franchise format for us in women’s sport and we were thrilled about it. Not just on-ground but even the support staff team was fantastic," he said.
“We are committed to our goal of promoting and developing talent at the grassroots level and will continuously work towards it. This is just the beginning of an exciting journey ahead. WPL is a great platform for all these young talents to showcase their potential and I urge the fans of Adani Gujarat Giants to support them, cheer for them, and make this sport even a phenomenon, globally,” he concluded.
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