Ashleigh Gardner, the No.1 allrounder in girls’s T20Is, has attracted the joint second-highest bid of $558,000 on the inaugural Ladies’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 in the course of the public sale on Monday afternoon.
The brand new event will final 23 days, from March 4-26.
With Rachael Haynes, who was just lately recruited because the Giants head coach, current on the public sale desk on the Jio World Conference Middle in Mumbai, the imprint of the previous Australia captain on the aspect choosing Gardner was unmistakable.
Gardner, for her half, watched the public sale reside 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 in opposition to Bangladesh on Tuesday .
“Ashleigh’s such an awesome all-rounder,” Australian head coach Shelley Nietschke mentioned after the workforce’s follow session. “She delivers in three expertise. She’s been actually necessary for us over the past 12 months to 2 years, and even past that.
“However I believe what we’re discovering in current instances is she’s actually coming into her recreation and maturing as a cricketer. So she performs a key function for us.
“It was implausible to see her carry out with the ball and her career-best figures in opposition to New Zealand. I am trying ahead to seeing what the event (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 in opposition to New Zealand, had a reserve worth of $87,000.
She was the fifth participant from the seven-member Set 1 to go beneath the hammer after India’s Smriti Mandhana, the primary and costliest participant to be bought 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 similar worth as Gardner by Mumbai.
Additionally they 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 virtually 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 primary two Australians to go unsold. Nevertheless, when Schutt went beneath the hammer for a second time, Bangalore, who employed Sydney Sixers head coach Ben Sawyer in the identical function, picked her up at her base worth of $70,000.
Additionally they made the profitable bid for Erin Burns, who shouldn’t be 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 function on the ultimate checklist on the public sale which went unsold.
Gujarat outbid Bangalore to safe the providers 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 intently 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 very best illustration from a single nation.
Just one Affiliate participant – USA’s Tara Norris – discovered any takers
