Gujarat Giants received a major setback ahead of their campaign opener against Mumbai Indians after West Indies all-rounder Deandra Dottin was ruled out of the WPL 2023.
Dottin is recovering from a medical situation and has not yet regained her fitness. Dottin was purchased at auction by Giants for INR 60 lakh after bidding began at INR 50 lakh.
Australian Kim Garth has been named as her replacement in the squad. The right-hand batter had gone unsold at the auction last month. She was part of the Australia side that won the T20 World Cup in South Africa at the time of the auction.
Garth only played two warm-up games before the World Cup, one against her previous team, Ireland. After completing the legal paperwork, she just relocated to Australia and has signed a three-year contract with the Melbourne Stars in the Women's Big Bash League (WBBL). She joined the Giants' practice squad on Friday.
The Giants face the Mumbai Indians in the first game of the WPL on Saturday night at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. They will be spearheaded by Australia's Beth Mooney, who was named Player of the Match in the World Cup final for her unbeaten 74 off 53.
Throughout the 22-game season, each of the five teams will face each other twice before two semi-finals determine the top two teams for March 27 championship game. In its inaugural edition, five teams - Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Giants, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore and UP Warriorz splurged their purse to acquire some of the best talents in the international and domestic circuit.
Gujarat Giants full Squad: Beth Mooney (c), Ashleigh Gardner, Sophia Dunkley, Annabel Sutherland, Harleen Deol, Kim Garth, Sneh Rana, S Meghana, Georgia Wareham, Mansi Joshi, D Hemalatha, Monica Patel, Tanuja Kanwer, Sushma Verma, Hurley Gala, Ashwani Kumari, Parunika Sisodia and Shabnam Shakil.
( With inputs from ANI )
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