We bring you the GG Women best playing XI for WPL 2024 as Gujarat Giants prepare for the season from February 23. Gujarat Giants Women play their opening game on February 25. GG Women will take on the defending champions Mumbai Indians at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Sunday.
Gujarat Giants Women had a season to forget last year, where they struggled with several issues on and off the field. Beth Mooney was injured early in the season while they were also involved in a controversy over Deandra Dottin’s availability. They finished at the bottom of the table with only two wins out of eight games.
The Australian wicket-keeper batter Beth Mooney will lead the GG Women's squad, which looks better than the previous season. They will be eager to produce a better performance in the second edition. Let's take a look at the Gujarat Giants Women's full squad and the GG Women best playing XI for WPL 2024.
Royal Challengers Bangalore Women: RCB Women best playing XI for WPL 2024
Gujarat Giants (GG) Women full squad for WPL 2024
Ashleigh Gardner, Beth Mooney, Dayalan Hemalatha, Harleen Deol, Laura Wolvaardt, Shabnam MD, Sneh Rana, Tanuja Kanwar, Phoebe Litchfield, Meghna Singh, Trisha Poojitha, Sayali Satghare, Priya Mishra, Kathryn Bryce, Mannat Kashyap, Veda Krishnamurthy, Tarannum Pathan, Lea Tahuhu
GG Women best playing XI for WPL 2024
Gujarat Giants Women let go of Kim Garth, Georgia Wareham and Annabel Sutherland ahead of the WPL auction. They then bolstered the squad with Phoebe Litchfield, Kathryn Bryce, Lauren Cheatle and Kashvee Gautam. However, Cheatle was replaced by Lea Tahuhu after the Aussie pacer pulled out due to medical reasons. Kashvee was injured and replaced by Sayali Satghare.
Scotland's Kathryn Bryce is a player from an associate nation and that will allow GG Women to play five overseas players. The other four overseas players in the line-up should be Mooney, Gardner, Wolvaardt and Litchfield, which gives them maximum cushion in the batting unit. Below is what we believe would be the GG Women best playing XI for WPL 2024.
1. Beth Mooney (c/wk)
Beth Mooney was injured in the first game in the inaugural WPL edition and missed the remainder of the tournament. She will be looking to make up for it this time. Mooney is one of the most consistent batters in the game across formats. Since 2021, she has amassed over 3000 runs in the format at an average of 48 while striking at 130. Mooney has been in excellent form, hitting three fifties in the last four games.
2. Laura Wolvaardt
The South African batter might not have a guaranteed spot in the GG Women best playing XI as she will compete with Phoebe Litchfield and Lea Tahuhu. Laura Wolvaardt is amongst the best batters with a solid record in T20 cricket. She has scored over 3500 runs in the shorter format in the last three years, averaging 36 and striking at 117. Wolvaardt has registered 23 fifties in this period.
3. Phoebe Litchfield
Just 20 years of age, Phoebe Litchfield is destined for greatness. The left-hand batter is one of the most fluent players in the world and can be innovative when need be, making her a difficult batter to bowl at. She was excellent in the series against India, scoring 49 off 32 coming in at number six in one of the games. Litchfield has over 1500 runs in the format in the last three years at 28 average and 127 strike rate and is a must in GG Women best playing XI for WPL 2024.
4. Dayalan Hemalatha
Dayalan Hemalatha has the power game and is a proven player in domestic cricket. She played all eight group matches in the last season and scored 151 runs at a strike rate of 157. She smashed 57 off 33 in their last group fixture batting at number four.
5. Ashleigh Gardner
Ashleigh Gardner is one of the most valuable players in the game with her bowling and destructive batting ability. The all-rounder has scored over 1600 runs in T20 cricket in the past three years at an average of 27 while striking at 129. In the same period, Gardner has taken 104 wickets with her right arm off-break bowling at an economy of 7. Gardner remains the biggest factor in the GG Women best playing XI.
6. Harleen Deol
Harleen Deol is known for her classical style of batting. She is better suited to bat in the top order but might have to float around. The right-hand batter was the second-highest run-getter for GG Women last year, with 202 runs at an average of 29 and a strike rate of 128.
7. Kathryn Bryce
Kathryn Bryce is one of the best players from the associate nations and brings a lot of value to the GG Women best playing XI. Bryce is a quality medium pacer, especially with the new ball, and is a capable batter. She has scored over 1100 runs in T20 cricket in the last three years at an average of 25 while also picking 61 wickets at an economy of 6.2.
8. Sneh Rana
Sneh Rana handled the responsibility of leading Gujarat Giants in the previous season after Mooney was ruled out. Rana has plenty of experience of playing at the highest level. An off-spin bowler who can bat as well, Rana is a valuable player for the team. Rana had a poor season last year, where she picked only six wickets and scored 34 runs. She would hope to turn things around.
9. Sayali Satghare
Sayali Satghare was brought in as a replacement for Kashvee Gautam. She is the same type of player, offering right-arm medium pace and some batting. She picked up 10 wickets in a domestic one-day tournament last month and scored a century and makes GG Women best playing XI for WPL 2024.
10. Mannat Kashyap
The left-arm orthodox spinner should get into the GG Women best playing XI for WPL 2024. Mannat Kashyap played seven T20 games in the last year and snared 9 wickets at an economy of 5.2. She will bring variety to the bowling attack with her left-arm spin.
11. Meghna Singh
Meghna Singh had a short stint with India but fell off quickly. She has a chance to put her name back in the big league as a frontline pacer for Gujarat Giants in the WPL 2024.
