In a major turn of events, Australian all-rounder Ashleigh Gardner has been appointed as the captain of Gujarat Giants for the upcoming WPL 2026. The tournament’s fourth edition which has been very elusive will commence on January 9, 2026, and the matches will be held at DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.
The franchise based in Gujarat announced this decision on Monday night via a post on X (formerly Twitter), officially having Ashleigh Gardner as the captain again for the WPL 2026 season. 28-year-old Gardner has been with the Giants since the very beginning of the WPL and has played an integral role in the franchise.
During the last three seasons, Ashleigh Gardner played a total of 25 matches for the team and the franchise retained her for INR 3.50 crore before the WPL 2026 mega auction, which made her one of the highest-paid players in the league.
Ashleigh Gardner’s unfinished business with Gujarat Giants
It is worth mentioning that this won’t be the first time Ashleigh Gardner would be leading the side in WPL. She captained Gujarat Giants in WPL 2025, succeeded Beth Mooney, and paved the way for the franchise to the playoffs for the first time in three years.
Gujarat Giants under her captaincy won four out of eight league matches, they were third on the points table and thus qualified for the playoffs. However, their journey came to an end in the Eliminator where they lost to the Mumbai Indians.
Numbers of Gardner talk through the T20 circuit
Ashleigh Gardner, speaking through her numbers, comes to the Gujarat Giants’ camp with great experience in the international and franchise circuit. The ICC Women’s T20I rankings currently place her as the fourth-best all-rounder.
Gardener has not only been an all-rounder for the teams like Australia, Gujarat Giants, Sydney Sixers, and Trent Rockets in the 282 T20 matches but also an active scorer with 5,091 runs, as well as a major contributor to the team’s success with 242 wickets and 102 catches.
The last time we saw Ashleigh Gardner was in WBBL 2025, where she was the captain of the Sydney Sixers. Although her batting wasn’t up to the mark thus leading to her exit from the tournament, she was on the other side of the coin with the ball, and through her bowling, she also ended up as the joint-highest wicket-taker with her 19 wickets.
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