Beth Mooney is able to embrace extra sporting historical past by captaining Gujarat Giants within the first match ever to be performed within the new money-spinning, probably game-changing Women’s Premier League in India.
And but the Australian batting ace admits that the management job was not what she anticipated because the profitable league is launched along with her aspect going through Mumbai Indians at Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium on Saturday.
Fresh from her player-of-the-match innings which helped Australia to a different international title within the T20 World Cup last in South Africa, Mooney reckoned she felt as if she’d been in a whirlwind ever since arriving in India on Wednesday.
And she’ll be thrown proper into the deep finish of the massive event along with her fellow Australian recruits for big-spending Gujarat – Ash Gardner, Annabel Sutherland and Georgia Wareham – within the launch match.
The 29-year-old Mooney informed reporters on the eve of the match on Friday that she’d initially solely anticipated to be within the WPL as a participant, not as a captain – however was shocked when she received a name from Gujarat’s former Indian captain Mithali Raj, asking her to steer the brand new outfit.
“When I got bid on in the auction, I was just happy to be a part of it and captaincy wasn’t something that was on my radar,” Mooney admitted.
But after a few conversations along with her former Australia teammate Rachael Haynes, who’s been taken on by Gujarat for her maiden head teaching job, Mooney determined it was time to “challenge” herself in her first main captaincy function.
“I know Rachael Haynes quite well and it’s good to be able to work pretty close with her,” stated Mooney, who’ll be one in every of three Aussies main groups within the WPL with nationwide workforce captain Meg Lanning overseeing Delhi Capitals and Alyssa Healy captaining UP Warriorz.
“I trust Rach and her judgement and so I was more than happy to help her out.”
The captaincy means solely extra stress for opening batter Mooney, who has already been saddled with loads after being snapped up for the massive price ticket of $350,000 on the WPL public sale. Gujarat expects her to ship – however she does not sound involved.
“There’s nothing no one else can put on me more than I put on myself,” she stated.
There’ll be much more expectation on allrounder Gardner, participant of the event on the T20 World Cup and WBBL participant of the 12 months, who was the most costly abroad recruit of all at $558,000.
Playing in opposition to Mooney’s Giants shall be Mumbai’s lone Australian signing, allrounder Heather Graham, in a aspect that options India captain Harmanpreet Kaur and England’s star allrounder Nat Sciver-Brunt.
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
