WPL
Mooney ruled out of WPL after calf injury
|| AFP ||
Australia's T20 World Cup winner and Gujarat Giants captain Beth Mooney was ruled out of the inaugural Women's Premier League Thursday after suffering a calf injury in her team's opening match.
Mooney suffered the calf strain while batting in the second innings of the team's tournament-opening defeat to the Mumbai Indians on Saturday.
"Unfortunately, injuries are part and parcel of the sport and I am gutted to be missing the remainder of the season," she said in a statement.
The Giants said Mooney they have drafted South Africa's Laura Wolvaardt to replace the aggressive wicketkeeper-batter.
Mooney is "expected to take 4-6 weeks... to retain full fitness and complete her rehabilitation," the Giants said in a statement.
India's spin-bowling all-rounder Sneh Rana take over the Gujarat captaincy with Australia's Ashleigh Gardner as her deputy.
The five-team tournament began its inaugural season on Saturday but is already the second-most valuable women's sports league after the WNBA women's basketball league, according to media reports.
Mooney was one of dozens of top women cricketers from across the world who secured lucrative deals at the WPL player auction in February.