Published: Jan 10, 2026, 12:12 PM (IST)
Edited: Jan 10, 2026, 12:12 PM (IST)
Australian star Ashleigh Gardner, captain of Gujarat Giants, praised the Indian women’s team for their recent 50-over World Cup win. She said that playing against teams led by Indian captains gives her extra motivation, thanks to the popularity of these players at home.
Gardner will get her chance soon as Gujarat Giants open their WPL 2026 campaign against UP Warriorz, led by Gardner’s former captain Meg Lanning, at DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Saturday.
Three of the five WPL teams – Mumbai Indians (Harmanpreet Kaur), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Smriti Mandhana), and Delhi Capitals (Jemimah Rodrigues) – are led by Indian captains. Gardner will therefore have plenty of opportunities to test herself against them.
“There’s always extra motivation to beat teams with Indian captains. I’ve heard a lot of media recently talking about the World Cup, and I think the greatest thing to come out of it was that it almost felt scripted for India to win, playing a World Cup on home soil and lifting the trophy. I’ve felt those same emotions, and it was amazing. So I can only imagine what it must have felt like for these guys as well,” said Ashleigh Gardner, speaking on ‘TATA WPL’.
Gardner also said that playing franchise cricket in India after their disappointing finish in the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup is very special.
“To be back here after what was a disappointing finish for us, but now playing franchise cricket in India, is so special. It’s one of the best competitions in the world. To be able to come back and lead the Gujarat team again, I’m certainly really excited about it,” she added.
In the WPL 2026 opener, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) beat Mumbai Indians (MI) by 3 wickets.
