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The Gujarat Giants will start afresh in 2025 after a difficult 2024 Women’s Premier League (WPL) season that culminated in a last-place finish. Using a careful combination of retentions, the team has been constructing a well-rounded squad with a selection of international pedigree players, homegrown talent, and some promising young talents coming through.
All these decisions reflect the franchise’s effort to make amends for last year’s performance while hoping for its maiden WPL title in 2025.
Giants’ Key Retentions: Understanding the Core Players for a Resilient Squad
With an incredible set of 14 players retained by Gujarat Giants, it is evident that this is a team looking to enhance what went right and what went wrong last year. Skipper Beth Mooney is still a cornerstone of the Giants’ batting, and she leads the lineup.
Mooney was outstanding at 47.50 and 285 runs in 2024 — the team’s leading runscorer, second only to Mathews and 49 ahead of Nataraj. Mooney, known for her consistency and her leadership qualities, will be important to the Giants as they seek to influence their standings in the coming season.
Two other key players retained are the International stars Ashleigh Gardner and Laura Wolvaardt. Known the world over as one of the top all-rounders, Gardner brings strong batting and effective off-spin bowling to the lineup. An important member of Australia’s recent T20 World Cup success stories, she was Player of the Tournament in 2023.
The South African, a captain and one of the most technically skilled batters in women’s cricket gives stability to the top order. She certainly has been consistent at the international level and was the highest run-getter for the surprise T20 World Cup winners, and she is a critical bat for the Giants.
Another key retention is young Australian batter Phoebe Litchfield, whom the Giants will hope to develop as part of emerging talent and to inject new energy into their lineup.
Litchfield is known to be fearless and adaptable, and while she might not be one of the stars of this batting lineup, her potential to grow well with players like Mooney and Gardner makes her an exciting addition to it. In the midst of the Indian contingent are versatile players Harleen Deol and Dayalan Hemalatha.
The dynamic fielding and strong batting that Deol brings to the mix, along with the steadying influence of Hemalatha in the middle order, are things that we look forward to from our domestic core.
Rounding out the team’s retained players are several promising domestic talents: Bharti Fulmali, Kashvee Gautam, Mannat Kashyap, Meghna Singh, Priya Mishra, Sayali Satghare, Shabnam Shakil, Tanuja Kanwer. The squad is added to depth in all bowling and batting roles in this group.
The Giants are looking to balance out their unit across seam and spin and also leave a range of domestic players with high potential and plenty of fielding options. Additionally, Meghna Singh is a solid seam bowler who could offer good options, while Kashvee Gautam and Mannat Kashyap will serve as spin reinforcements to the team, who might find some value in the pitch.
Strategic Releases: Growth and Flexibility
Before the 2025 auction, the Giants had no choice but to let seven players go in a bid to make room for new talent to fit their strategic vision. Experienced international players such as former T20 World Cup vice-captain Kathryn Bryce and her countrywomen Lauren Cheatle and Lea Tahuhu were also released; players whose qualities might not have been quite right for the evolving next season’s team.
Also released were Indian veterans Sneh Rana and Veda Krishnamurthy, but that move seems to be done with the Giants looking to inject younger players or different skill sets in who will fit particular roles. There were release orders out for ODI domestic players Tarannum Pathan and Trisha Poojitha, possibly to create room for newer Indian faces, all promising much on the domestic circuit and very capable of bringing in fresh and adaptable energy to the squad.
Auction Goals: Filling Gaps and Building a Title-Ready Team
Set at the core of a good side for the WPL 2025 draft; the Gujarat Giants are ready to book their places in the team’s roster and fix the holes they faced in the last season. The priority will be to strengthen the bowling attack, adding to a team already containing extra pace and spin options with some experience.
Bringing back some of the retained domestic bowlers is intriguing. Still, the addition of a seasoned international or domestic bowler would be unlikely to go amiss for the Giants as they sought to defend totals and apply pressure to their opponents.
That team will probably be searching for versatile all-rounders who can add depth and adaptability.
The partnership with an all-rounder of Gardner’s caliber has already been granted, and another multi-skilled player would even out the lineup with some batting firepower and some bowling options. Young Indian talents who have explosive batting skills ( especially the ones capable of raising the middle-overs scoring ) could also be on the list.
After a tough 2024 season, the Gujarat Giants have brought together a good squad that looks set to challenge for the WPL crown. The mix of experienced internationals and skillful domestic players offers a balanced side that can compete in a variety of match conditions.
Mooney’s leadership and the outside possibility of strategic acquisitions at the auction give the Giants hope for a quick turnaround. This 2025 season will be their opportunity to redeem themselves and show their metal as contenders in the Women’s Premier League. It will also provide us fans hope that silverware isn’t a pipe dream after all.
Ishika Aggarwal
