Beth Mooney to lead Gujarat Giants in WPL 2024

Beth Mooney will lead Gujarat Giants (GG) in the second season of the Women's Premier League (WPL), the franchise has announced. The Australia batter was appointed the captain in the first season, but an injury cut short her campaign, playing just the first game. Sneh Rana led the side in her absence and will continue to be her deputy for the upcoming season as well.

“I am delighted to be back with Gujarat Giants and grateful for the team’s trust in me. We have a fantastic squad, and I am confident we will put up a good show. It is good WPL will be played in Bengaluru and New Delhi, which are new to the tournament, ”Mooney said on her return.

Mooney has been a phenomenal asset for Australia since making her T20I debut in 2016. She has hit 24 fifties for them in the format - the second-most by a batter, and she is also the fastest women's cricketer to reach 2,000 runs. 

Rana picked up six wickets in seven innings in the inaugural WPL edition and was previously also part of the Indian squad that won silver at the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham. The Giants however came in last in the five-team tournament, level on points with Royal Challengers Bangalore.

“The second season of WPL will be another festival of cricket. That Beth is back as skipper is fantastic news, and I will do everything I can to support her. The squad is well-balanced, and we are in a good place as a team,” Rana said.

Recently, Michael Klinger took over as the head coach of the side from Rachael Haynes. Mithali Raj will continue her role as mentor, while Nooshin Al Khadeer will be the side's assistant coach.

The Giants begin their WPL 2024 campaign against Mumbai Indians on February 25 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru.