After a disappointing run in the first two seasons of the Women’s Premier League, Gujarat Giants began to turn a corner with a third-place finish in the final year of the inaugural cycle. Backing it up with a second-place finish in the league stage of WPL 2026, the Giants fell short of making the final although head coach Michael Klinger termed it a “huge improvement” at the end of their campaign.
It came as little surprise then that the Giants held onto a significant chunk of their squad when the retentions ahead of the 2027 player auction were announced earlier this week – a noticeable change from the second season, when they offloaded 11 players.
Klinger, currently overseeing a second off-season camp in Bengaluru ahead of the auction on October 28, underlined “trust and consistency from the management” as the core philosophy behind the team’s turnaround, particularly after the 2024 season which was Klinger’s first at the helm of the team.
“Our management and CEO trust us to do our jobs, whether that’s in an auction, whether that’s preparing teams,” Klinger said at a media interaction. “That’s been helpful for all the staff to be able to come into each year knowing that we can have open conversations and make decisions and know that we’ll be back.”
Klinger also highlighted the strength of the roster put together at the franchise, and the off-field value they offer as another factor behind the turnaround.
“We’ve got players who have bought into what we’re trying to do at Gujarat Giants. We’ve got a great list of overseas players who [are] not only great on-field playing, but they’re good people off the field, which is really important in a franchise setup. And then some really motivated domestic players who want to do well to help us win, but also progress their own careers,” Klinger said.
But to go a step further and play their first WPL final, he called for better returns with the ball, stating that that was an area where the Giants could “tighten up a bit”.
“Probably that’s one area looking at data and statistical information from last season where we can improve,” Klinger said. “I think we’ve got the personnel and a couple of players putting their hand up to maybe get opportunities there this year that will help us get some more quality over.”
One bowler the Giants let go was Titas Sadhu, who was ruled out midway through the previous season with an injury. Klinger confirmed that her release was due to injury concerns, even as she has been invited to take part in the Giants’ ongoing camp. But there was better news with regard to Kashvee Gautam, who had to undergo surgery for a knee injury. Klinger said that Kashvee, who is currently at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence, has started bowling regularly and is likely to return in mid-to-late October.
Klinger acknowledged the progress that Indian cricket has made with its fast-bowling pool and reckoned that it was on the right track.
“Domestically, I think that’s probably the area in Indian cricket where they can keep building that depth,” Klinger said. “There’s certainly been a big change from when I started in this role a few years ago, where I feel the fast bowling around the country, they’re physically better. They’re more versatile, they can move better, they’re more agile.”
Klinger was also positive about the scouting system continuing to unearth new talent in the WPL, highlighting the breakout season that batter Anushka Sharma enjoyed before earning her India callup. However, he pointed out the timing of the auction – two days after the women’s domestic season gets underway with the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy – as a caveat this time around, putting the onus on the off-season camps that the Giants have had in the build-up.
The Giants also released England opener Danni-Wyatt Hodge, despite her topping the run-charts at the T20 World Cup in June and July. Klinger reasoned out England’s international commitments overlapping with the WPL, as well as Wyatt Hodge’s keenness for more game-time in the lead-up to the ICC Women’s Champions Trophy as the factors behind her release.
That said, the Giants are set for a boost with Yastika Bhatia, who was signed at the previous auction, set to feature in the 2027 season. Klinger indicated that her presence opened up more flexibility with the combination, with the Giants snapping up her services despite her unavailability for the 2026 season due to an ACL injury.
“I thought [Yastika] was a really good buy for us in the last auction, even knowing [that] she wasn’t going to be available. That really strengthens our squad and our starting XI this year. It gives us options with our overseas players as well,” he said.
Having retained 15 players from their 2026 roster, the Giants have a maximum of three slots to fill and INR 1.25 crore to spend at the auction in Kochi.
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