Gujarat Giants rope in Kim Garth ahead of Mumbai clash
Beth Mooney’s Gujarat Giants have roped in Australian all-rounder Kim Garth for the inaugural edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL). The former Irish cricketer joins the star-studded side after veteran Windies all-rounder Deandra Dottin suffered an injury, ruling her out of the upcoming tournament, according to reports.
The Gujarat-based franchise were hit by crisis after Deandra Dottin reportedly suffered an injury, ruling her out of the tournament, just a day before their curtain-raiser fixture against the formidable-looking Mumbai Indians at the DY Patil Stadium. However, the franchise reacted swiftly to acquire the services of Australian pacer Kim Garth. The Aussie cricketer, who was part of Australia’s T20 World Cup winning squad, went unsold during the WPL auction earlier this year.
Gujarat Giants announced the arrival of Ireland-born cricketer via their official Twitter handle on Friday, writing, ” Another lioness from Down Under, Kim Garth joins our pride!”
Garth is the fifth Australian to join the team and will be playing under the leadership of her compatriot Beth Mooney. The 26-year-old made her debut for Ireland, her country of birth, at just 14 years of age in an ODI against New Zealand in 2010. She represented Ireland for nearly a decade before switching her alliance to Australia. She made her international debut for Australia last year in a T20 match against India.
While there has been no official news regarding Deandra Dottin’s injury, she is unlikely to feature for the Gujarat Giants in their campaign opener against Harmanpreet Kaur’s Mumbai Indians. The 31-year old veteran all-rounder posted a cryptic tweet after Gujarat announced the arrival of the Australian cricketer on Friday.
