WPL Auction 2023: Australia all-rounder Ashleigh Gardner leaves behind Harmanpreet Kaur to fetch INR 3.2 crore

Ashleigh Gardner of Australia earned INR 3.2 crore in the inaugural Women’s Premier League (WPL) on Monday, February 13.

Gardner had a starting price of INR 50 lakh and was auctioned off in the first batch. The Mumbai Indians initiated the bidding war, which was quickly joined by the UP Warriors and Gujarat Giants. For quite some time, the two teams were locked in a bidding war before Gaujarat drew her in.

Gardner entered the auction after winning Player of the Match against New Zealand in the Women’s T20 World Cup match at Boland Park in Paarl. She had the third-best performance in the history of the women’s major event.

Gardner also eclipsed Adam Zampa’s record for the greatest T20 World Cup bowling stats by an Australian. Gardner became the second-most expensive player in the first set, following Smriti Mandhana, who joined the Bangalore-based team.

.@GujaratGiants' maiden signing at the #WPLAuction – Ashleigh Gardner 👍 👍 pic.twitter.com/MIMwxezLQZ

— Women's Premier League (WPL) (@wplt20) February 13, 2023

Gardner, 25, is worth more than Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who fetched INR 1.80 crore from Mumbai.

Aside from Gardener, Australian all-rounder Ellyse Perry also lit fire to the auction. She was sold to the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for INR 1.70 crore. Before acquiring her, the Challengers engaged in a bidding war with the Delhi Capitals.

Perry has been an important all-rounder for Australia, becoming the team’s only player to score 1500+ runs in T20Is while also taking more than 100 wickets. Only Pakistan’s Nida Dar and New Zealand’s Sophie Devine hold the record in women’s cricket.

Also Read: WPL Auction 2023: UP Warriorz bag Deepti Sharma for INR 2.60 crore, Royal Challengers Bangalore pick Renuka Singh