Laura Wolvaardt joins Gujarat Giants in place of Beth Mooney for rest of WPL 2023
Beth Mooney suffered a calf strain while batting in the second innings of the match between Gujarat Giants and Mumbai Indians at the DY Patil Stadium on 4 March.
Gujarat Giants captain Beth Mooney has been ruled out of the remaining matches of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2023 due to injury. As stated by the franchise, the Australian cricketer injured her calf in the season opener against Mumbai Indians and will play no further part in the tournament. In Mooney’s absence, Laura Wolvaardt comes in as a replacement. The dynamic South African opener recently played a key role for hosts South Africa in the 2023 Women’s T20 World Cup.
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Mooney suffered a calf strain while batting in the second innings of the match between Gujarat Giants and Mumbai Indians at the DY Patil Stadium on 4 March. She later returned to training but is expected to take 4-6 weeks to fully recover and complete her rehabilitation.
“I was looking forward to the first WPL season with Adani Gujarat Giants. But unfortunately, injuries are part and parcel of the game and I miss out on missing the remainder of this season. However, I will be keeping a close eye on the team’s performance from afar and rooting for them every single day. And although I will be away from the field of play for the rest of the season, I am looking forward to coming back stronger, fitter and I will definitely be hungrier next season. For now, I wish the Adani Gujarat Giants team the best of luck for the rest of the WPL season,” said Beth Mooney.
Wolvaardt was the top scorer for the South African women’s team in the World Cup with three half-centuries in six matches. His contribution played a major role in helping South Africa reach the final of the tournament, where they lost to world champions Australia.
Speaking on the occasion, Wolvaardt said, “I am very excited to join Gujarat Giants. This is an incredible opportunity and I am very grateful to be playing in the WPL. I’m looking forward to meeting the team and can’t wait to get going.
“Captain Beth Mooney was certainly one of the most reliable players in the team and she will be greatly missed. We wish her a speedy recovery and I am sure she will make a mark in the coming season. We welcome Laura to the team Let’s do it and look forward to bringing some great cricket action in the first season of WPL.
“Adani Gujarat Giants wishes Team Captain Beth Mooney a speedy recovery. He is one of the stalwarts of the game and the team will miss his energy in the camp. But looking ahead, Adani Gujarat Giants would like to extend a warm welcome to explosive South African Laura Wolvaardt. We look forward to seeing more fours and sixes from his bat in the remaining season of WPL.
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With an unfortunate change in the team, India’s Sneh Rana will now be the captain and Australian Ashley Gardner will be the vice-captain.
In their next game, Gujarat Giants will take on Delhi Capitals on March 11 at the DY Patil Stadium.
Gujarat Giants Team: Sneh Rana (c), Ashleigh Gardner (vc), Laura Wolvaardt, Sophia Dunkley, Annabel Sutherland, Harleen Deol, Kim Garth, S Meghna, Georgia Wareham, Manasi Joshi, Dayalan Hemlata, Monika Patel, Tanuja Kanwar, Sushma Verma, Hurley Gala, Ashwini Kumari, Parunika Sisodia, Shabnam Shakeel.
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