3 reasons why Gujarat Giants Women can win inaugural WPL season

Gujarat Giants. (Photo Source: Twitter/GujaratGiants)

The inaugural season of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) commenced on March 4. All of the five franchises have given their all to ace the high-profile competition and fans have been blessed with some exhilarating action on the cricket field. Gujarat Giants did not have a great start to their campaign as they succumbed to two consecutive defeats. But they have gotten back to winning ways by trumping Royal Challengers Bangalore by 11 runs in their third game.

The Gujarat franchise has a well-rounded squad, with a nice blend of youth and experience, and can ride on the winning momentum to go all the way in the T20 extravaganza. Let us look at the reasons which make them a title contender.

3 reasons why Gujarat Giants Women can win the inaugural WPL season

3. Sophia Dunkley- The power-packed England superstar

Sophie Dunkley. (Photo Source: Twitter/WPL)

Sophia Dunkley has been a proven performer in the international arena. She is known to play an aggressive brand of cricket and has put bowling attacks under the pump with her marauding bat. On her day, the 24-year-old has inflicted carnage on even the best of bowlers and stamped her authority on the cricket field.

Dunkley has represented her national side on 28 ODIs in the 50-over format and notched up 746 runs at a strike rate of 85.25. Coming to the shortest format, the ace batter has aggregated 652 runs in 44 matches at a strike rate of 117.68. Witnessing her batting exploits, Gujarat Giants roped her for the 2023 season of the Women’s Premier League.

In the encounter against Royal Challengers Bangalore, Dunkley put up an exhibition of her swashbuckling stroke play and dismantled the opposition’s bowling attack, plundering 65 runs off mere 28 deliveries. She has looked in pristine touch and could lead way with the bat for Gujarat Giants in WPL 2023.

2. Top-quality overseas all-rounders in the mix

Ashleigh Gardner & Kim Garth (Photo by Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images)

Gujarat Giants have the services of Ashleigh Gardner, who is one of the finest all-rounders in world cricket at the moment. She is a ferocious striker of the cricket ball and has dismantled bowling attacks for fun. On the bowling front, the 25-year-old has been a strike force for Australia across formats.

Gardner took the T20 World Cup 2023 by storm with her stunning performances, smashing 110 runs in six games and taking 10 wickets at an economy of 6.25. Given the caliber of the Australian all-rounder, It would not be a surprise if she makes WPL 2023 her own.

Besides Ashleigh, Gujarat possess the likes of Annabel Sutherland and Kim Garth in the mix. Both multi-faceted cricketers are match-winners with bat and ball and have set the T20 circuit ablaze with their exploits on the cricket field. Garth has already displayed her might with the ball in the ongoing edition of the marquee tournament, bagging an incredible five-wicket haul on her WPL debut.

1. Solid Indian core

Harleen Deol & Sneh Rana (Photo by Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images)

Gujarat Giants have the likes of Harleen Deol, Sneh Rana, Sabbhineni Meghana, and Dayalan Hemalatha in their ranks. These cricketers have proven their mettle in the international arena in the past and could take the Women’s Premier League 2023 by storm with their performances.

Harleen has already displayed her class in the clash against Royal Challengers Bangalore. She took the attack to the opposition right from the get-go and hammered the opposition all across the park, notching up 67 runs off 45 deliveries. Hemalatha has also been brilliant with the bat thus far in the tournament and has smashed 66 runs in three games at a strike rate of 153.48.

Though Gujarat’s stand-in skipper Rana and Meghana, have not been their best, they have the prowess to thrive in WPL 2023. Besides the Indian quartet, the Giants have wicketkeeper-batter Sushma Verma and fast-bowler Mansi Joshi in their arsenal, who have considerable experience of playing in the international circuit and know how to thrive on the big stage. The presence of so many players in the team with such standards is one of the strengths of the Gujarat franchise.