Ahmedabad: Beth Mooney, the Australian batter who played a crucial role in her team’s victory in the Women’s T20 World Cup, has been chosen as the captain of the Gujarat Giants team for the first-ever Women’s Premier League (WPL). Giants’ head coach, Rachael Haynes, who is also a former team-mate of Mooney, will be a part of the team. Sneh Rana, an all-rounder from India, has been appointed as the vice-captain.

Mooney expressed her excitement in a statement and said that she was thrilled to lead the Adani Gujarat Giants in the debut season of the WPL. She also expressed her eagerness to play alongside experienced players such as Mithali Raj, Rachael Haynes, and Nooshin Al Khadeer.

Mooney has an impressive track record in T20 cricket, having won three T20 World Cups and a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games. She has also won the Women’s Big Bash League three times and is the only Australian batter with two T20I hundreds.

Although Mooney has led a few games in the Women’s Big Bash League, this will be her first time leading a team in an overseas T20 league. Meanwhile, Rana has played for Velocity in the Women’s T20 Challenge and has represented India in 25 T20Is, 22 ODIs, and one Test match.

The Gujarat Giants will start their WPL campaign against the Mumbai Indians on Saturday at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.