Gujarat Giants (GG) will face a tough challenge ahead of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 Auction as they look to finalise their retentions and releases. It will be interesting to see the names that feature in the Gujarat Giants Retention List.
The Gujarat Giants had their best season in WPL 2025, finishing in the top three for the first time. They lost in the Eliminator to Mumbai Indians. In the previous two seasons, they had finished at the bottom of the table.
As per the mega auction rules, each franchise can retain up to five players — with a maximum of three Indian, two overseas, and two uncapped players. If a team chooses to retain all five, at least one must be an uncapped player.
Ahead of the WPL 2026 Auction, here’s a look at the likely Gujarat Giants Retention List, the players they might release, and the ones they could target in the upcoming auction.
Gujarat Giants will look to keep their main group of key players from the previous season. Ahead of the WPL 2026 Auction, here’s a look at the likely Gujarat Giants Retention List:
As teams can retain only five players before the auction, Gujarat Giants might face a tough decision on whom to keep and whom to release. They have a mix of strong Overseas stars and Indian players they would like to retain.
Ashleigh Gardner – The captain has been one of the team’s best performers.
Beth Mooney – She has been a consistent performer over the past two seasons and one of the most valuable players for her team.
Harleen Deol – She was the leading run-scorer among the Indian players in her team.
Bharti Fulmali – She did the job of a finisher impressively well in her debut season.
There are some impressive talents Gujarat Giants might have to release due to the five-player retention limit. Here’s the expected Gujarat Giants Released Players List:
A few big names who could miss out on retention and head to the auction:
Laura Wolvaardt – She could only play three matches last season, and with the rule allowing teams to retain only two overseas players, Laura Wolvaardt might have to make way.
Phoebe Litchfield – Phoebe Litchfield hasn’t been able to make a strong impact in the WPL across the two seasons she has played so far.
Dayalan Hemalatha – She averaged only 4.50 in the six matches she played during the 2025 season, which could be a reason why she might get released.
Laura Wolvaardt, Phoebe Litchfield, Simran Shaikh, Danielle Gibson, Dayalan Hemalatha, Deandra Dottin, Sayali Satghare, Tanuja Kanwer, Kashvee Gautam, Mannat Kashyap, Meghna Singh, Prakashika Naik, Priya Mishra, Shabnam Shakil.
Here’s how the Gujarat Giants squad might look after retentions and releases:
Category: Retained
Ashleigh Gardner, Beth Mooney, Harleen Deol, Bharti Fulmali.
Category: Released
Laura Wolvaardt, Phoebe Litchfield, Simran Shaikh, Danielle Gibson, Dayalan Hemalatha, Deandra Dottin, Sayali Satghare, Tanuja Kanwer, Kashvee Gautam, Mannat Kashyap, Meghna Singh, Prakashika Naik, Priya Mishra, Shabnam Shakil.
Captaincy Status
Ashleigh Gardner will continue to lead the team.
Gujarat Giants might look to build their squad around the core players they decide to retain. They haven’t performed well in the three WPL seasons so far, so the team could look for fresh faces and might also target some of the players who did well for them but couldn’t be retained due to the limit. They will look to target:
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Out of the five possible retentions, Gujarat Giants might choose to keep only four players and rebuild the rest of their squad through the auction. They will aim to cover all bases and form a more balanced team this time.
Laura Wolvaardt/ Phoeble Litchfield – They might look to buy player from the last season. Both these players have shown impressive form recently.
Pratika Rawal – Gujarat Giants might target Pratika Rawal at the auction, as they need a reliable Indian opener.
Kashvee Gautam – Kashvee Gautam had a good 2025 season. There’s a possibility that Gujarat might look to buy her again in the auction.
Radha Yadav/Shree Charani – Gujarat might look to target a left-arm spinner in the auction. Radha Yadav and Shree Charani will be the likely options.
Ashleigh Gardner, Beth Mooney, Harleen Deol, and Bharti Fulmali are the likely names to be retained.
Laura Wolvaardt, Phoebe Litchfield, Dayalan Hemlatha, Deandra Dottin, and Meghna Singh could be the possible releases.
Gujarat Giants’ main focus in the auction will be to cover all their departments and build a well-balanced squad for the new season.
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