WPL 2026: Gujarat Giants hit reset button to turn potential into performance

After terribly disheartening results in the first two seasons, Gujarat Giants (GG) qualified for the playoffs for the first time last year but were totally outplayed by Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Eliminator, losing by 47 runs.

They had retained only two players (Beth Mooney and Ashleigh Gardner) and splurged a lot of cash to rope in several stars to rebuild for the 2026 season.

Strengths

Allround depth

Giants have put together a core group of allrounders who boast splendid numbers at the international stage. 78 wickets at an economy rate of 6.55 and 1411 runs at a strike rate of 127.69, Ashleigh Gardner is the gold standard for allrounders in international cricket.

They have added Georgia Wareham to their setup, who is a wily leg-spinner and has a strike rate of over 135, both in the WPL and international circuit. 

With over 3000 runs and 100 WT20I wickets, Sophie Devine is expected to add a layer of experience and can be a reliable advisor to Gardner, having claimed the T20 World Cup herself.

A premier top-order with a rich pedigree

The acquisition of Devine and Danni Wyatt-Hodge bolsters Beth Mooney, who has been a familiar name at the top of the order. Mooney is a reliable batter who averages 42.26 but needs someone at the other end to set the scoreboard ablaze, and that's where Giants acted smartly and got Wyatt-Hodge and Devine at the auction.

Devine has aggregated 402 runs in 18 WPL games at a whopping strike rate of 153.43 and can dent any opposition on her day. Similarly, Wyatt-Hodge is also an explosive top-order batter who has aggregated the most runs (2927) for England as an opener, including two centuries and 20 fifties.

Weaknesses

Captaincy without a proven compass

Gardner's inexperience as a leader may prove to be an obstacle for Giants in their road to glory. Having won four and lost five, Gardner has a win percentage of 44.44% in the WPL. Similarly, she has led in just 11 WBBL games, winning six and conceding five.

A lower middle-order short on finishing firepower

Giants are likely to pair Mooney and Devine at the top, and Gardner is expected to bat at number four. If that's the case, it is expected to leave a void lower down the order, big enough for the opposition to utilize.

To ensure it doesn't happen, one of Mooney, Devine, and Gardner needs to bat throughout the innings and hold one end up so that the inexperienced lower middle order doesn't feel the heat at the death.

Opportunities

For Giants, this is yet another opportunity to shed the underachiever tag and rise above their billing by playing some fearless and tactically astute cricket.

WPL 2026 could be transformative for a host of Indian players, circling around national selection. Titas Sadhu, Tanuja Kanwar, Kashvee Gautam, and Kanika Ahuja are all brimming with promise. With a T20 World Cup fast approaching, every outing carries added significance.

A standout campaign won’t just lift Giants, it may even catapult one of these rising talents into India’s plans at the most opportune moment.

Threats

Beyond Gardner, Mooney, and Devine, Giants' batting is dependent on those who are still trying to find their footing in elite T20 cricket. In case of a top-order or middle-order collapse, they don’t have a bank of seasoned Indian batters to soak up the pressure or rebuild.