Beth Mooney, an Australian, has been appointed Gujarat Giants’ captain for the inaugural Women’s Premier League (WPL). The former teammate of the wicketkeeper-batter, Rachael Haynes, who has been named head coach of the Giants, will be reunited with her. Sneh Rana, an all-rounder, and off-spinner for Team India will be the vice-captain.
Mooney was a member of the Australian T20 World Cup team in 2023. The left-handed batter helped Australia win their sixth Women’s T20 World Cup championship on February 26 by smashing a game-winning 74 not out in the championship match against South Africa. “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,” Mooney said in a statement.
“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 the WPL. It will be 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,” she added. Incidentally, Mooney also competed on the winning Australian T20 World Cup squads in 2018 and 2020. The 29-year-old hitter took home the gold medal from the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and the 2022 ODI World Cup. Also, she has three Women’s Big Bash League championships under her belt—two with Brisbane Heat and one with Perth Scorchers.
Mooney’s first full-time experience in an international competition will be leading Gujarat Giants in the first WPL season. In the WPL player auction earlier this month, the franchise purchased Mooney for INR 2 crore and Rana for INR 75 lakh. On March 4 at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, the Giants and, Mumbai Indians will square off in the tournament’s opening match.
