New Delhi: Gujarat Giants appointed Australia batter Beth Mooney as their captain for the inaugural Women’s Premier League on Monday. Mooney played the important knock of 74 runs in the Women’s T20 World Cup final against South Africa on Sunday.

“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,” Beth Mooney said.

“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 Sneha as my deputy and Mithali Raj, Rachael Haynes and Nooshin Al Khadeer as pivotal parts of the team,” Mooney added.

Beth Mooney will join her former teammate Rachael Haynes at the Gujarat Giants camp. The Gujarat-based franchise has appointer Haynes as the head coach of the side.

🚨 Breaking News 🚨

Get ready to ROAR with excitement as our fierce lioness Beth Mooney leads the #Giants in the first-ever @wplt20!

Joining her as our vice-captain is the incredible all-rounder @SnehRana15. Together, they'll take on the best in the world! 💪🔥

[1/2] pic.twitter.com/u027w8mawq

— Gujarat Giants (@GujaratGiants) February 27, 2023

Mooney’s career achievement

Mooney was part of the Australia squad which lifted the T20 trophy in 2018, 2020 and 2023 along with the Women’s ODI World Cup in 2022 and the Gold medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

This will be the first time that Mooney will captain the overseas team. Mooney has also won the Women’s Big Bash League thrice in her glittering T20 career.

Sneha Rana will be vice-captain

The left-hand batter will have India all-rounder Sneha Rana as her deputy.

Vice-captain Sneh Rana is currently one of the most recognized faces in Indian cricket and a crucial player in the national team. The off-spinner is known for her tenacity and for picking up important wickets. Rana is also known for her ability to dry up the runs for the opposition batters.

“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

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

The Adani Gujarat Giants will be playing their first match on the opening day of the league, when they take on the Mumbai Indians on 4 March at 7.30 pm.

Gujarat Giants Squad: Beth Mooney (Captain), Sneh Rana (Vice-Captain), Ashleigh Gardner, Sophia Dunkley, Annabel Sutherland, Harleen Deol, Deandra Dottin, S Meghana, Georgia Wareham, Mansi Joshi, Dayalan Hemalatha, Monica Patel, Tanuja Kanwer, Sushma Verma, Hurley Gala, Ashwani Kumari, Parunika Sisodia, Shabman Shakil.