"Even Perth Scorchers doesn't make her captain" - Fans fume as Beth Mooney is named Gujarat Giants' skipper for WPL 2024 

Australian cricketer Beth Mooney was named Gujarat Giants' captain for the upcoming 2024 Women's Premier League (WPL) season on Wednesday, February 14. The top-order batter was announced as the skipper for the inaugural edition as well, but she was ruled out of the tournament after sustaining an injury in the first match itself.

In the absence of Mooney, the leadership duties were handed over to all-rounder Sneh Rana. Although the Gujarat Giants finished at the bottom of the WPL 2023 table after securing only two wins across the season, Rana's captaincy was praised, especially how she managed with limited resources by her side.

The Indian all-rounder has captaincy experience in limited-overs cricket as well, having recently led the Central Zone women to the Senior Women's Inter Zonal One Day Trophy. Rana also led teams to the title in the Women's T20 Quadrangular series, Women's Challenger Trophy, Senior Women's T20 Trophy, Women's T20 Challenger Trophy, and Senior Women's Inter Zonal One Day Trophy.

As part of the new leadership dynamic, Sneh Rana has been named the vice-captain of the Gujarat Giants team.

“I am delighted to be back with Gujarat Giants and grateful for the team’s trust in me. We have a fantastic squad, and I am confident we will put up a good show. It is good WPL will be played in Bengaluru and New Delhi, which are new to the tournament,” Mooney said in a statement released by the Gujarat Giants.

Rana also welcomed back Mooney as the skipper of the side, saying:

“The second season of WPL will be another festival of cricket. That Beth is back as skipper is fantastic news, and I will do everything I can to support her. The squad is well-balanced, and we are in a good place as a team.”

Fans were far from pleased with the franchise's decision to name Mooney as the captain, and the announcement sparked intense backlash straightaway on social media.

Here are some of the reactions on Twitter:

Beth Mooney comes into WPL 2024 as the No. 1-ranked WT20I batter

Beth Mooney has been in solid touch in the home series against South Africa. As far as her T20 exploits are concerned, the left-handed batter had a stellar season for the Perth Scorchers in the 2023-24 Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) season. She was the leading run-scorer of the tournament, with 557 runs to her name.

The 30-year-old will hope to leave a mark in the WPL as well, especially after missing out on the inaugural edition due to injury. The franchise made some notable acquisitions in the form of Phoebe Litchfield and Kahsvee Gautham and even managed to secure Lea Tahuhu's services as a replacement for Lauren Cheatle.

The second edition of the WPL is slated to begin on February 23, with two cities in the form of Delhi and Bengaluru set to play host to the proceedings.