Ashleigh Gardner, the No.1 allrounder in ladies’s T20Is, has attracted the joint second-highest bid of $558,000 on the inaugural Women’s Premier League (WPL) public sale.
The topic of a fierce three-team bidding struggle, Gardner was purchased by the Adani Group-owned Gujarat Giants, the final of the three franchises to precise their curiosity within the 25-year-old through the public sale on Monday afternoon.
The new match will final 23 days, from March 4-26.
With Rachael Haynes, who was not too long ago recruited because the Giants head coach, current on the public sale desk on the Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai, the imprint of the previous Australia captain on the aspect selecting Gardner was unmistakable.
Gardner, for her half, watched the public sale dwell on her telephone, alongside Australia team-mates Megan Schutt and Kim Garth, from the sidelines of her workforce’s afternoon coaching at St George’s Park in Gqeberha forward of their T20 World Cup fixture towards Bangladesh on Tuesday.
“Ashleigh’s such a great allrounder,” Australia head coach Shelley Nietschke mentioned after the workforce’s follow session. “She delivers in three skills. She’s been really important for us over the last 12 months to two years, and even beyond that.
“But I believe what we’re discovering in current occasions is she’s actually coming into her sport and maturing as a cricketer. So she performs a key position for us.
“It was fantastic to see her perform with the ball and her career-best figures against New Zealand. I’m looking forward to seeing what the tournament (WPL) brings for her.”
Gardner, who returned her career-best figures in T20Is – 5 for 12 – in Australia’s opening fixture on the T20 World Cup towards New Zealand, had a reserve value of $87,000.
She was the fifth participant from the seven-member Set 1 to go below the hammer after India’s Smriti Mandhana, the primary and most costly participant to be offered on the day at $593,000, and Harmanpreet Kaur, New Zealand’s Sophie Devine and the unsold Hayley Matthews.
England’s Natalie Sciver-Brunt was snapped up on the identical value as Gardner by Mumbai.
They additionally purchased Heather Graham, who had picked a hat-trick in Mumbai two months in the past, for $52,000 in direction of the shut of the public sale that lasted nearly six hours.
Ellyse Perry was the second Australian to be purchased. Royal Challengers Bangalore shelled out $297,000 on the star allrounder, with Beth Mooney ($350,000/Gujarat) later surpassing her because the second-most costly Australian purchase.
No.1-ranked T20I batter Tahlia McGrath ($245,000/UP), Australia captain Meg Lanning ($192,000/Delhi Capitals), vice-captain Alyssa Healy ($122,000/UP), allrounder Annabel Sutherland ($122,000/Gujarat) additionally picked up spectacular bids.
Medium-pacer Megan Schutt and wrist-spinner Alana King had been the 2 first two Australians to go unsold. However, when Schutt went below the hammer for a second time, Bangalore, who employed Sydney Sixers head coach Ben Sawyer in the identical position, picked her up at her base value of $70,000.
They additionally made the profitable bid for Erin Burns, who is not a part of Australia’s T20 World Cup squad, for $52,000.
Left-arm spinner Jess Jonassen was snapped up by Delhi for $87,000 on the second time of asking. King’s title additionally got here up twice, however she discovered no takers.
Garth and Tess Flintoff had been the opposite Australians to characteristic on the ultimate checklist on the public sale who went unsold.
Gujarat outbid Bangalore to safe the companies of legspinner Georgia Wareham for $131,000.
The coveted Harris sisters — Grace ($131,000) and Laura ($78,300) – had been purchased by UP and Delhi, respectively, after carefully contested bidding wars.
A complete of 87 gamers had been purchased on the public sale, 30 of these being abroad recruits.
Australia accounted for the best illustration from a single nation.
Only one Associate participant – USA’s Tara Norris – discovered any takers
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
