Through Gardner, Gujarat aim to go where they have never been

Ashleigh Gardener has arguably been the Giants' best player over the last two editions © Sportzpics
Outlook: To say Gujarat Giants have underperformed in seasons one and two would be soft-pedalling their issues. From controversies to injuries, Giants have had a forgettable two years so far and would be looking to get third-time lucky as they bid for the playoffs spot with a refurbished leadership group overseen by head coach Michael Klinger. With a strong Australian core at its heart, the GG side doesn't lack firepower but the rawness of its domestic contingent has often let them down. That said, three of the Giants' players have gone on to make their India white-ball debut between the two editions, while Harleen Deol - who had her season cut short last year due to an ACL injury - has made a successful comeback with a maiden ODI century to boot. The inexperience of their pace-bowling unit may be a glaring weakness that Giants would be hoping to mask with its potent and varied spin attack, to be led by their new captain Ashleigh Gardner.

Where they finished in WPL 2024: Bottom of the table, for the second successive season.

Auction round-up: After an intense bidding war with UP Warriorz, Giants secured destructive Caribbean allrounder Deandra Dottin's signature for INR 1.7 crore. They also went head-to-head with Delhi Capitals to sign Simran Shaikh at INR 1.9 crore making her the costliest uncapped player at the mini auction. They rounded off the auction with two base-price buys - England bowling all-rounder Danielle Gibson and Mumbai leggie Prakashika Naik.

Newsmaker(s): The Giants have stayed in the news for big shake-ups, including the overhaul of their back-room staff. Klinger stays, but the Giants have parted ways with former India duo of Nooshin Al Khadeer (assistant coach) and Mithali Raj (mentor). Then came the re-signing of Deandra Dottin. And just ahead of the new season, GG have also announced a captaincy change with Australian all-rounder Gardner taking over from compatriot Beth Mooney.

Watch out for: Deandra Dottin

It's been a season of fresh starts for the Caribbean legend, and true to the theme Dottin is all set for her maiden WPL stint. Life's come a long way for her since calling out GG publically for the controversial removal at the start of the inaugural edition. She returns to the franchise now, having missed out both the formative years of the league, under a new-look management and leadership at GG, and would be eager to move past the 2023 fiasco. In the meantime, Dottin has also marked a successful return to international cricket that saw her play a pivotal role in putting West Indies in the T20 World Cup semis. She's heading into WPL 2025 on the back of a Player of the Series performance in the T20I series against Bangladesh at home, scoring 110 runs in the low-scoring series at a terrifying strike-rate of 203.70 as she settles back into a middle-order role which she would be expected to replicate at GG.

Probable XI: Laura Wolvaardt, Beth Mooney (wk), Harleen Deol, Deandra Dottin, D Hemalatha, Ash Gardner (C), Simran Shaikh, Meghana Singh, Sayali Satghare/Kashvee Gautam, Tanuja Kanwar, Priya Mishra

Full Squad: Ashleigh Gardner (C), Laura Wolvaardt, Harleen Deol, Phoebe Litchfield, D Hemalatha, Kashvee Gautam, Deandra Dottin, Meghna Singh, Mannat Kashyap, Danielle Gibson, Sayali Satghare, Beth Mooney, Shabnam Shakil, Priya Mishra, Tanuja Kanwar, Simran Sheikh, Bharti Fulmali, Prakashika Naik

Schedule: For the first time in three seasons, Giants will be playing in front of their home crowd in Vadodara's newly-inaugurated Kotambi stadium. In fact the season kicks off with the marquee clash of the hosts vs the defending champions on February 14. The Giants have two more home games, against UP Warriorz and Mumbai Indians, all within the first-five days of WPL 2025. They begin the long away leg then, with two games each in Bengaluru and Lucknow and the final one against hosts Mumbai Indians at the CCI on March 10.