New Delhi, Dec 30 : Gujarat Giants have announced that Australian all-rounder Ashleigh Gardner will continue to lead the franchise in the upcoming season of the Womenâ??s Premier League (WPL)

Gardner, a three-time T20 Womenâ??s World Cup winner, assumed the captaincy at the franchise from Australian teammate Beth Mooney last season. Under her leadership, Gujarat Giants reached the playoffs for the first time in three seasons.

â??Experience in her stride. Belief in her voice. Ash Gardner steps up once more as our CAPTAIN, primed to take us to glory,â?? the Giants shared on its social media.

Since WPLâ??s inception in 2023, Gardner has been an integral part of the Gujarat Giants side, scoring 568 runs and bagging 25 wickets in 25 games. She was one of the two players, the other being Beth Mooney for Rs. 2.5 crore, retained by the Giants prior to the WPL 2026 Auction for Rs. 3.5 crore.

Last season, Gardner hogged the limelight with her consistent all-round performances in the recently. Batting in the middle-order, Gardner finished as our leading run-scorer in the tournament with 243 runs in nine matches at an impressive strike rate of 164.18, while also maintaining an average of 30.37.

The Aussie allrounder also contributed with her right-arm off-spin and claimed eight wickets at an economy of 8.03. The skipper claimed the Most Sixes award with 18 maximums to her name.

With eight points from eight matches, Giants finished third in the WPL 2025 standings to book a place in the Eliminator. However, their fruitful season ended in the Eliminator after going down to eventual champions Mumbai Indians.

The fourth edition of WPL will be held from 9 January 9 to 5 February 2026. The tournament will be played across Navi Mumbai and Vadodara.

The Giants will open their campaign against UP Warriorz in Navi Mumbai on January 10.

/IANS