Maximum Auction Flexibility: Gujarat Giants Retain Only Australian Duo Gardner and Mooney, Release 16 Including World Cup Star Wolvaardt
Maximum Auction Flexibility: Gujarat Giants Retain Only Australian Duo Gardner and Mooney, Release 16 Including World Cup Star Wolvaardt
Gujarat Giants stunned the WPL 2026 retention landscape by retaining just two players—Australian captain Ashleigh Gardner (Rs 3.5 crore) and wicketkeeper-opener Beth Mooney (Rs 2.5 crore)—while releasing 16 players including South Africa’s World Cup 2025 record-breaker Laura Wolvaardt, India’s Harleen Deol, and West Indies power-hitter Deandra Dottin, leaving the Adani Sportsline-owned franchise with the maximum auction purse of Rs 9 crore and three RTM cards for the November 27 mega auction in New Delhi. The bold rebuild strategy follows GG’s maiden playoff appearance in WPL 2025, where they finished fourth, suggesting management believes wholesale changes offer better championship prospects than continuity with underperforming players.
The Two Retentions
Ashleigh Gardner (Australia, Captain) - Rs 3.5 crore
Beth Mooney (Australia, Wicketkeeper) - Rs 2.5 crore
Total Retention Cost: Rs 6 crore
Remaining Purse: Rs 9 crore (highest among all five franchises) RTM Cards: 3 (joint-highest with UP Warriorz’s 4) Slots to Fill: 16 players
The Retained Stars’ WPL 2025 Performance
Ashleigh Gardner (Captain)
Runs: 243 in 9 innings
Strike Rate: 164
Sixes: 18 (most by any batter in WPL 2025)
Wickets: 8
Economy Rate: 8.00
All-round value as captain-batsman-bowler
Beth Mooney (Wicketkeeper-Opener)
Runs: 237 in 9 innings
Strike Rate: 128
Half-centuries: 2
Consistent top-order performer
The Major Releases
Laura Wolvaardt (South Africa)
The most shocking omission. Wolvaardt:
World Cup 2025 record: 571 runs at 71.37 average
Consecutive centuries in semifinal (169) and final (101)
Most runs ever in single Women’s World Cup edition
Released despite being one of world cricket’s premier batters
Harleen Deol (India)
The poster girl of Gujarat Giants’ brand identity, Harleen’s release signals complete strategic reset. Her departure removes one of India’s most recognizable WPL faces from the franchise.
Other Notable Releases
Deandra Dottin (West Indies) - Explosive finisher
Dayalan Hemalatha (India) - Middle-order batter
Phoebe Litchfield (Australia) - Young talent
Tanuja Kanwar (India) - Left-arm spinner
Kashvee Gautam (India) - Wicketkeeper option
Meghna Singh (India) - Pace bowler
Bharti Fulmali (India) - All-rounder
Management’s Vision
Michael Klinger (Head Coach):
"We played an exciting brand of cricket last season, and while parting ways with some players is always tough, it’s part of the league’s evolution. We’ve retained two strong players who reflect our playing ethos, and we’re eager to add fresh energy at the auction to take the team forward."
Sanjay Adesara (Chief Business Officer, Adani Sportsline):
"With the first-ever mega auction for the WPL, we are entering an exciting new phase for women’s cricket. Our focus is to keep our competitive core intact while opening opportunities to build further around these two players at the auction. We have a clear vision of the squad we want to build."
The Auction Advantage
GG’s minimal retention strategy creates maximum flexibility:
Financial Advantage:
Rs 9 crore purse (highest)
Can bid aggressively for 3-4 marquee players at Rs 2+ crore each
RTM options allow strategic buybacks of released players if auction prices remain reasonable
Squad Building Freedom:
16 slots = essentially building new team from scratch
Can target specific balance: batting depth, bowling variety, youth vs experience
No obligation to accommodate underperforming retained players in XI
Strategic Opportunities:
Could buy back Wolvaardt at a potentially lower price than Rs 3.5 crore retention would have cost
Target World Cup stars from other franchises (Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, if released)
Acquirean experienced Indian batting core that GG has historically lacked
The Fourth-Place Context
GG reached their first-ever WPL playoff in 2025, finishing fourth with 6 wins from 10 matches. However, they lost to Delhi Capitals in the Eliminator, suggesting that despite playoff qualification, the squad lacked championship quality.
Management’s decision to retain only Gardner and Mooney indicates belief that incremental improvement through 2-3 retentions wouldn’t bridge the gap to champions Mumbai Indians or runners-up Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
The Complete Released List (16 Players)
Overseas:
Laura Wolvaardt (South Africa)
Deandra Dottin (West Indies)
Phoebe Litchfield (Australia)
Danielle Gibson (Australia)
Indian Capped:
Harleen Deol
Dayalan Hemalatha
Tanuja Kanwar
Meghna Singh
Kashvee Gautam
Bharti Fulmali
Indian Uncapped:
Mannat Kashyap
Prakashika Naik
Simran Shaikh
Sayali Satghare
Priya Mishra
Shabnam Shakil