3 reasons why Beth Mooney as Gujarat Giants captain for WPL 2023 is the right move

Gujarat Giants, one of the five teams that will compete in the inaugural Women's Premier League, have named Australian opener Beth Mooney as their captain.

Mooney and Ashleigh Gardner were believed to be in the race for the captaincy, which eventually went to the former. The franchise has named Indian all-rounder Sneh Rana as Mooney's deputy.

Mooney recently starred in the Women's T20 World Cup final against South Africa, scoring 74* off 53 balls. Her efforts helped her win the prize for the player of the match, along with a World Cup winner's medal.

Here, we look at three reasons to validate Mooney's appointment as the captain of the Gujarat Giants.

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#1 Beth Mooney has tons of experience and will command respect in the dressing room

Having made her international debut way back in 2016, Beth Mooney is now an experienced campaigner who will have a fair idea of how to go about the job. She has featured in 4 tests, 57 ODIs, and 83 T20Is, becoming a crucial member of the Australian side, especially in the white-ball formats.

Mooney has achieved several laurels in her career thus far, winning the inaugural ICC T20I Women's Player of the Year and Emerging Player of the Year awards in 2017, the Wisden Leading Woman Cricketer in the World in 2021 and many other awards which will ensure that she commands respect from her teammates.

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#2 Beth Mooney knows what it takes to win big tournaments

Mooney plays for a champion Australian side, which is regarded as one of the best teams to have ever played the game because of its dominance over a long period of time. Having been a part of such a fearsome side, Mooney knows what it takes to win big tournaments. She will know exactly how to react in high voltage situations to come out on the right side of the result.

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#3 Beth Mooney is in good form with the bat

The old phrase states that a leader must lead from the front and rightly so. After all, the team can only be as good as the leader.

Heading into the inaugural WPL, Beth Mooney is in good form, having delivered a match-winning performance in the World Cup Final yesterday (February 26). She finished third on the list of highest run-getters in the World Cup, which will hold her in good stead mentally, ahead of what is surely going to be a high pressure tournament.