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The Gujarat Giants (GG) were, without a shadow of doubt, the worst team on display in the inaugural edition of the Women's Premier League (WPL).
The Giants finished dead last in the standings with only two wins from eight matches. At no point during the campaign did it seem like they would make a playoff push - in fact, it was clear even ahead of the WPL season that their roster construction was quite poor.
At thhe WPL 2024 auction, GG tried to bolster their squad. While they signed a few talented uncapped players, they might struggle to compete with the best teams in the competition.
Gujarat Giants Women's squad for WPL 2024: Ashleigh Gardner*, Beth Mooney*, Dayalan Hemalatha, Harleen Deol, Laura Wolvaardt*, Shabnam Shakil, Sneh Rana, Tanuja Kanwar, Phoebe Litchfield*, Meghna Singh, Trisha Poojitha, Kashvee Gautam, Priya Mishra, Lauren Cheatle*, Kathryn Bryce*, Mannat Kashyap, Veda Krishnamurthy, Tarannum Pathan.
Here's GG's strongest playing XI for the WPL 2024 season.
Openers: Beth Mooney (c & wk), Phoebe Litchfield
Beth Mooney's WPL 2023 campaign ended in disappointing circumstances as she suffered an injury to be ruled out early. She is set to be appointed at the helm this time around too and will hope that her fortunes are better.
Mooney is expected to open the batting alongside Phoebe Litchfield, who was one of GG's marquee signings at the WPL 2024 auction. The 20-year-old is a hugely exciting talent who has the ability to take the game away from the opposition.
Litchfield's advanced attacking game should give her a spot in the XI ahead of Laura Wolvaardt, who hasn't been able to hit the right tempo in the shortest format so far.
Middle Order: Harleen Deol, Ashleigh Gardner, Dayalan Hemalatha, Kathryn Bryce, Sneh Rana
Veda Krishnamurthy was a surprise pick by GG at the WPL 2024 auction. Ideally, she shouldn't be part of the first-choice XI, with options who have more of an upside available at the team's disposal.
Harleen Deol played a couple of classy knocks in WPL 2023 and could bat at No. 3 during the upcoming campaign. In the domestic batting department, she could be joined by Dayalan Hemalatha, who was one of the surprise packages last season with her power-hitting and finishing ability.
Ashleigh Gardner picked up wickets by the bucketload in the recently concluded calendar year. The Aussie all-rounder will be arguably GG's most important player in WPL 2024.
Sneh Rana, who led Gujarat after Mooney was ruled out, will continue to be an integral part of the side even if she isn't the captain. The off-spinning all-rounder has some work to do on her white-ball game and will look to improve in WPL 2024.
Kathryn Bryce, the only Associate player in the five squads, could pip Krishnamurthy to a spot in the XI owing to her bowling ability and general overall pedigree.
Lower Order: Kashvee Gautam, Mannat Kashyap, Lauren Cheatle, Meghna Singh
Signed for ₹2 crore at the WPL 2024 auction, Kashvee Gautam is expected to be in the thick of things for GG. The uncapped all-rounder has a sky-high ceiling and deserves a good run of games to come to terms with the level of the franchise tournament.
Mannat Kashyap is another cricketer who is surging through the ranks, having made her ODI debut recently. Her obvious potential could mean that she is picked ahead of Tanuja Kanwar. Kanwar did decently during the last season but arguably didn't do enough to justify being the lead spinner of a WPL franchise.
Gujarat's pace stocks look rather thin. They might be forced to use an overseas slot on Lauren Cheatle, who will add a new dimension to the bowling lineup while being the leader of the pace attack.
GG will ideally want another pacer who can share new-ball duties. While Meghna Singh isn't exactly an ideal option, having fallen out of favor with the national side, she might be the team's best bet.
