WPL 2025: How Ash Gardner’s brain fade summed up a nightmarish Eliminator performance by Gujarat Giants

No matter who wins the third edition of the Women’s Premier League, the season will be known for the feisty resurgence of the Gujarat Giants. Condemned to the bottom of the table for the last two editions, the Giants’ campaign was eerily headed the same way early this season as well.

However, a three-game winning streak turned the tide and the team pipped defending champion Royal Challengers Bengaluru and UP Warriorz (which made the Eliminator in season one) to finish third and make the playoffs.

The Giants’ journey is everything the league wanted for its dream storyline. A team eyeing redemption, injured and scorned players returning to the fold, a domestic player pool that was eager to make an impression – it was all the crockpot.

Gujarat Giants’ dugout the WPL Eliminator Match between Mumbai Indians vs Gujarat Giants held at CCI Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday.
| Photo Credit:
EMMANUAL YOGINI

While the side was at the end of an unflattering 0-6 head-to-head record with the Mumbai Indians – having never beaten them in league history – its comeback arc and the levelling abilities of knockouts made loyalists hope. However it wasn’t to be.

On Thursday, the Giants, which showed so much promise in the dying moments of the league stage, fizzled out fairly quickly on a hot and humid Mumbai evening. An unfortunate metaphor for the loss turned out to be skipper Ashleigh Gardner.

A damp ending

All season, the Australian all-rounder has been in scintillating form. Finishing with 243 runs in nine games averaging around 30, she also managed eight wickets through the season.

Gardner’s biggest strength has been her ability to place a chokehold on runs. Her pace variations and turn are stuff of nightmares. Ask someone like Smriti Mandhana whose wicket she often claims.

This season, she had the additional responsibility of donning the captain’s armband. Her field placements, bowling rotations and ability to stay calm and carry an innings on her shoulders with the bat all earned her leadership glowing reviews. Her vitality to that main XI also made her a natural choice after Beth Mooney suggested at the end of the season last year that the franchise should appoint someone who can do the job better.

Gardner has had the support of her compatriot, who operates from the best seat in the house – behind the stumps. It was not uncommon to see the pair discuss strategy and fielding structures for different batters. It was a system that worked until it didn’t.

In the Eliminator, an undue amount of pressure was thrust upon Mooney to contain the balls moving away from the batter. There was no slip in place particularly for MI opener Hayley Matthews who was struggling to get going against Danielle Gibson and Gardner early on. She maximised on Priya Mishra’s inexperience to resuscitate her effort.

Once Matthews was on song, there was no stopping her. Gardner didn’t feature with the ball after the 10th over and ended up dropping Matthews in the 15th over as well. This besides allowing a few deliveries to run away for boundaries.

Head coach Michael Klinger had not spoken to his skipper before fronting the media, but said the intention to take wickets meant Gardner didn’t bowl herself out.

Ashleigh Gardner (c) of Gujarat Giants bowling during the eliminator match of the Women’s Premier League 2025 (WPL) between the Mumbai Indians and the Gujarat Giants held at the Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai, India on the 13th March 2025.
| Photo Credit:
Sportzpics for WPL

“Probably, at the end, I think she felt with TK (Tanuja Kanwer) bowling that second last over from there and the ball not spinning towards the side with two right handers, maybe she decided to hold herself back. She started the game really well, but decided to use Priya (Mishra) as a wicket taker in the middle. It wasn’t her night today. Sometimes, these things happen. You try and rotate the bowlers. It works and it doesn’t.”

With 213 conceded, Gardner first saw Mooney return for a paltry six runs. Harleen Deol fell soon after. Gardner needed to channel the momentum of the three 50+ scores she had registered this season (79* and 58 vs RCB in the opener and 52 vs UP Warriorz).

She started with intent, slogging Matthews for a six over long on. But she went on to survive only two more deliveries. The West Indian all-rounder sent one angling outside off and Gardner was deceived by both the pace and the turn of the delivery as she swung her bat and missed. The ball gently clipped the top of the off stump and any remaining hope of the Giants winning the fixture and pulling off a miraculous run to the final.

Ashleigh Gardner (c) of Gujarat Giants going back to pavilion during the eliminator match of the Women’s Premier League 2025 (WPL) between the Mumbai Indians and the Gujarat Giants held at the Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai, India on the 13th March 2025.
| Photo Credit:
Sportzpics for WPL

“Hopefully we are treading in the right direction,” the GG captain said after the loss. “For our fans, who have backed us this season, it was nice to get some wins and play in front of the home crowd. Hopefully we can keep growing on that. Just awesome to be involved in this franchise for three years and to see it grow exponentially.”

Losses are never down to one player, but if there was a person who could be a symbol for GG – through its good times and bad – it was the first-time captain of the franchise. Age-old issues – dependence on the foreign bunch, inadequate big match experience for the domestic pool and meek surrender to pressure – stopped the side from scripting a fairytale.

There’s plenty of promise in what Gardner has managed to bring to the outfit and how she’s rallied the young crop of Indian players. With the overseas pool and the domestic bunch gelling better than before this season, the only way for the franchise is forward.