• Home
  • Cricket News
  • Gujarat Giants Get Major Boost As Ashleigh Gardner Named Captain For Wpl 2026

Gujarat Giants get major boost as Ashleigh Gardner named captain for WPL 2026

Kaushik Kashyap

Ashleigh Gardner to captain Gujarat Giants in WPL 2026. [Source - @wplt20/x]Ashleigh Gardner to captain Gujarat Giants in WPL 2026. [Source - @wplt20/x]

In a significant development, Australian star all-rounder Ashleigh Gardner has been officially named the captain of Gujarat Giants for the forthcoming WPL 2026. The fourth edition of the elusive tournament will kick-off from January 9, 2026, with matches scheduled to be played at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.

The Gujarat-based franchise confirmed the decision on Monday night through a post on X (formerly Twitter), formally reappointing Ashleigh Gardner as captain ahead of the WPL 2026 season. Gardner, who is 28 years old, has been a key part of the Giants since the inaugural WPL season. 

Ashleigh Gardner has featured in 25 matches for the franchise over the last three seasons and Gujarat Giants retained her for INR 3.50 crore ahead of the WPL 2026 mega auction, making her one of the highest-paid players of the season.

Ashleigh Gardner’s unfinished business with Gujarat Giants

Notably, this will not be Ashleigh Gardner’s first stint as captain in WPL. She led Gujarat Giants in WPL 2025, taking over from Beth Mooney and guiding the franchise to the knockout stage for the first time in three seasons.

Under her leadership, Gujarat Giants won four of their eight league-stage matches, finished third on the points table, and qualified for the playoffs. Their campaign, however, ended in the Eliminator, where they were defeated by Mumbai Indians.

Gardner’s numbers speak across the T20 circuit

On the international and franchise circuit, Ashleigh Gardner brings a lot of experience to the Gujarat Giants' camp. She is currently ranked fourth among allrounders in the ICC Women’s T20I rankings.

Across 282 T20 matches for teams including Australia, Gujarat Giants, Sydney Sixers and Trent Rockets, Gardener has scored 5,091 runs with the bat, scalped 242 wickets, and taken 102 catches.

Ashleigh Gardner was last seen in action in the Women’s Big Bash League 2025, where she captained the Sydney Sixers. While she had a below-par tournament with the bat, she impressed with the ball, picking up 19 wickets to finish as the joint-highest wicket-taker.