Beth Mooney to lead Gujarat in WPL 2023; Sneh Rana announced as vice-captain

The Adani Gujarat Giants have named the Australian wicketkeeper batter, Beth Mooney as their captain for the inaugural season of the Women’s Premier League, slated to begin on the upcoming Saturday (March 4). Gujarat signed Mooney at a price of INR 2 crore, defeating Mumbai Indians in the bidding war during the auction. Meanwhile, Sneh Rana is announced as the vice-captain.

The honor for Mooney comes a day after she won the Women’s T20 World Cup with Australia. She was also the Player of the Match in the final, scoring a judicious 74 not out off 53 balls which sailed Australia to a match-winning total. She has piped Ashleigh Gardner, the Player of the tournament in the World Cup, to get the captaincy role. 

The left-handed batter is one of the most reliable T20 openers in world cricket at present. She has mustered 1365 runs in Women’s T20Is since 2020, averaging 48.75 at a strike-rate of 125.6. 

“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.

“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,” Mooney added. With this development, Mooney becomes the second Australian player to lead a side in this five-team competition.

Sneh Rana, the vice-captain, is the most prominent Indian name in the squad based on experience and her spot in the Indian side. She featured in the semi-final of the recently concluded Women’s T20 World Cup. She was signed at INR 75 lakh by the Gujarat franchise. 

“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 Rana, vice-captain, Adani Gujarat Giants.

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

Gujarat Giants will feature in the lung-opener of the tournament, taking on Mumbai Indians on March 4.