The squads are locked up after the WPL 2026 auction and Gujarat Giants, who’ve finished with the wooden spoon twice and only just scraped playoffs last year, finally look dangerous after a proper rebuild.
With the second-highest purse of INR 9 crore and only two retentions, they spent ₹8.85 crore smartly on 16 players, ending with ₹15 lakh left and a perfectly balanced 18-member squad (6 overseas).
This is the most destructive top 3 in WPL 2026. Sophie Devine at ₹2 Cr is the steal of the auction. She opens, smashes over 150+ in strike rate in powerplays and have innings finishing ability.
Beth Mooney is the most reliable T20 opener in the world with a solid average and a strike rate that crosses 125+ on paper. Meanwhile, Danni Wyatt-Hodge adds manic energy at No. 3 or No. 4 with a career T20 strike rate of 129 and six-hitting ability.
Name
Tournament
Matches
Runs
Average
Strike Rate
Sophie Devine
WBBL 2025/26
7
112
28
121.73
Beth Mooney
WBBL (Career)
149
5256
45.31
125.38
Danni Wyatt Hodge
WBBL 2025/26
7
290
48.33
145
Special mention: Yastika Bhatia, though marred with some injuries gives left-hand and wicket-keeping option. On flat tracks, GG can regularly post 80–100 in powerplay.
Crazy all-round depth of Gardner-Devine-Wareham
Ashleigh Gardner, who is set to lead the team again for WPL 2026 has the off-spin and middle-order power. Sophie Devine too can ball seam up along with her explosive batting abilities crucial in a T20 game after an early collapse.
Georgia Wareham also have bagged names for her clean hitting and leg spin abilities. Hence, all in all, the trio looks to form a formidable core for GG-W on paper.
All three are guaranteed XI players and give 10–12 overs plus 100–120 runs between them with the bat. Add Kim Garth and Kanika Ahuja, and GG can play 7 bowling options without weakening the batting.
Pace attack led by Renuka Singh and Kim Garth!
After years of leaking runs with the new ball, GG now have genuine wicket-taking pacers. Renuka Singh, the swing queen and Kashvee Gautam who has 130 kph+ bite allows for raw pace.
Name
Tournament
Matches
Wickets
Economy Rate
Average
Kim Garth
WBBL 2025/26
6
10
6.18
9.9
Renuka Singh
T20 (2025)
10
7
7.89
16
Kashvee Gautam
WPL 2024/25
9
11
6.45
18.18
Alongside yorker machine Kim Garth, who is also in phenomenal form recently, this is a proper Indian and overseas pace combination, however, it also depends on the batting setup since only 4 overseas players are allowed alongside one impact sub.
Weaknesses of Gujarat Giants
Unproven middle-order batters are the weak links
Middle-order still slightly unproven at positions 5-7, Bharti Fulmali is solid with 197 WPL runs last season and is an excellent player of spin but after her it’s Anushka Sharma, who was bought for 45 lakhs INR and is an uncapped player, which remains one of the top gambles for the squad.
Happy Kumari, and Shivani Singh both are inexperienced too and if they find themselves in the Playing XI, lack of responsibility could make the team collapse in the middle. If the top order gets rolled early, there’s no experienced anchor to rebuild.
Overseas slots crunch
With Mooney, Devine, Gardner, Wareham, Garth, Wyatt-Hodge all in the squad, GG will have to bench at least two match-winners every game. If one gets injured, it is fine, but it limits tactical flexibility on turning tracks. For example, dropping Garth for Gayakwad means losing death bowling.
Gujarat Giants finally look like genuine contenders. If the middle order clicks even 70% of the time, they are making the playoffs, and with this firepower, they can win it all. Moreover, the wooden spoon days are over for the newly built Giants.
![Gujarat Giants squad analysis [Source: @wplt20/X.com]](https://onecricketnews.akamaized.net/parth-editor/oc-dashboard/news-images-prod/1764333658734_GGW_Squad_Analysis.jpg?type=hq)
Gujarat Giants squad analysis [Source: @wplt20/X.com].jpg)
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