Gardner hits the jackpot in the first WPL auction
Ashleigh Gardner, the No. 1 all-rounder in the women’s T20Is, has clinched the combined second-highest bid of $558,000 in the first Women’s Premier League (WPL) auction.
Gardner, who has been the subject of a bitter three-team bidding war, was bought by the Adani Group-owned Gujarat Giants, the latest of the three franchises to express interest in the 25-year-old during Monday afternoon’s auction.
The new tournament will last 23 days, from March 4th to 26th.
With Rachael Haynes, recently recruited as the Giants’ head coach, present at the auction table at the Jio World Convention Center in Mumbai, the former Australia captain’s imprint on Gardner’s side was unmistakable.
For her part, Gardner watched the auction live on her phone, alongside Australia team-mates Megan Schutt and Kim Garth, from the sidelines of her team’s afternoon training session at St George’s Park in Gqeberha ahead of their T20 World Cup match against Bangladesh on Tuesday.
“Ashleigh is such a great all-rounder,” said Australia head coach Shelley Nietschke after the team’s practice session. “She delivers in three skills. She has been very important to us over the past 12 months to two years and even beyond.
“But I think what we’re finding lately is that she’s really getting into her game and maturing as a cricketer. So it plays a key role for us.
“It was fantastic to see her perform against New Zealand with the ball and her best numbers of her career. I look forward to seeing what the tournament (WPL) brings for her.”
Gardner, who set her career highs in T20Is – 5 for 12 – in Australia’s opening match at the T20 World Cup against New Zealand, had a reserve price of $87,000.
She was the fifth player from the seven-man Set 1 to go under the hammer, after India’s Smriti Mandhana, the first and most expensive player to sell that day for $593,000, and Harmanpreet Kaur, New Zealand’s Sophie Devine and the unsold Hayley Matthews.
England’s Natalie Sciver-Brunt was snatched from Mumbai for the same price as Gardner.
They also bought Heather Graham, who scored a hat-trick in Mumbai two months ago, for $52,000 towards the end of the auction, which lasted almost six hours.
Ellyse Perry was the second Australian to be bought. Royal Challengers Bangalore paid $297,000 for the star all-rounder, with Beth Mooney ($350,000/Gujarat) later overtaking her as the second most expensive Australian.
Tahlia McGrath ($245,000/UP), Australian captain Meg Lanning ($192,000/Delhi Capitals), vice-captain Alyssa Healy ($122,000/UP) and all-rounder Annabel Sutherland ($122,000/Gujarat) also received impressive bids.
Medium speed Megan Schutt and wrist spinner Alana King were the first two Australians to go unsold. However, when Schutt went under the hammer for a second time, Bangalore, who hired Sydney Sixers head coach Ben Sawyer in the same role, picked them up at their base price of $70,000.
They also made the bid for Erin Burns, who is not part of Australia’s T20 World Cup squad, for $52,000.
Left-arm spinner Jess Jonassen was snapped by Delhi for $87,000 the second time around. King’s name also appeared twice, but she found no takers.
Garth and Tess Flintoff were the other Australians who were on the final unsold auction list.
Gujarat outbid Bangalore to hire legs spinner Georgia Wareham for $131,000.
The coveted Harris sisters – Grace ($131,000) and Laura ($78,300) – were bought by UP and Delhi, respectively, after hard-fought bidding wars.
A total of 87 players were purchased at the auction, including 30 overseas recruits.
Australia provided the highest representation of a single country.
Only one associated player – the American Tara Norris – found takers
