Gujarat Giants Bolster Squad at WPL 2027 Auction in Kochi

The Women's Premier League (WPL) 2027 auction took place in Kochi on Wednesday, October 28, seeing teams strategize to complete their squads. The Gujarat Giants entered the auction with the second-highest purse, holding INR 1.25 crore. This was only surpassed by the UP Warriorz, who boasted the highest purse of INR 3.75 crore, while the Mumbai Indians went into the auction with the least purse among the five teams.

In the previous WPL 2026 season, the Gujarat Giants, led by Ashleigh Gardner, demonstrated strong performance by reaching the playoffs after finishing at No. 2 on the points table during the round-robin phase. However, their campaign concluded with a seven-wicket defeat to the Delhi Capitals in the Eliminator. The Delhi Capitals Women themselves finished as the runners-up in WPL 2026.

Ahead of the auction, the Gujarat Giants released four players: Ayushi Soni, Danielle Wyatt-Hodge, Shivani Singh, and Titas Sadhu, while retaining a core of 15 players. The team was permitted to add a maximum of three players in the auction, including one overseas player. During the bidding, the Giants successfully acquired Orla Prendergast for INR 30 lakh and G Kamalini for INR 40 lakh.

With these additions, the Gujarat Giants' squad strength now stands at 17 players for WPL 2027. Following their auction expenditures, the team has a remaining purse of INR 55 lakh. Key retained players include Ashleigh Gardner (INR 3.5 crore), Beth Mooney (INR 2.5 crore), Sophie Devine (INR 2 crore), and Georgia Wareham (INR 1 crore).

What to watch: How the new Gujarat Giants squad performs in the WPL 2027 season with their strategic additions.

Editor's note: The article is thorough, accurately citing the auction figures, squad changes, and historical context from the source material.