The inaugural edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) saw an early controversy involving Gujarat Giants and star all-rounder Deandra Dottin. Ahead of the tournament opener against Mumbai Indians, news reports emerged that Dottin was ruled out of the tournament, which claimed she was yet to regain fitness and was still recovering from a medical situation. (Follow: UPW vs GG Live Score, WPL 2023)
However, Dottin was quick to take to social media, where she quashed all the reports regarding her being unfit. She tweeted: “I really appreciate all the messages but truth be told I’m recovering from nothing but the Holy Ghost anointing thank you #GodIsGood #GodIsInControl.”
She also left a message on her Instagram story, where she wrote: “Get well soon from what if I may ask?”
The development left many on social media furious, who asked Gujarat Giants for an explanation. The criticism on social media escalated further following the clash between Gujarat and Mumbai, which the former lost by 143 runs. Many even trolled the franchise for letting go of a powerful performer pointing out the outcome.
The franchise issued a clarification regarding the same on Sunday on their official social media handles, which read: “Deandra is a world-class player and a wonderful signing for the franchise. Unfortunately, we were unable to obtain a medical clearance before the defined deadline for this season, such clearances are a requirement of all players participating in the WPL.
“We look forward to seeing her return to the field soon. Subject to the clearance of her medical report, she will be part of the Gujarat Giants squad in the upcoming seasons.”
Gujarat had roped in Dottin for ₹60 lakh at the player auction last month. She was listed under the base price of ₹50 lakh. Meanwhile, Gujarat named Australian Kim Garth as her replacement. The right-hand batter, who was part of Australia’s T20 World Cup winning team in South Africa, went unsold at the auction last month. Garth only played two warm-up matches at the World Cup, out of which one was against her previous team Ireland.
Meanwhile, Gujarat started the tournament on a poor note and will hope for an improved show as the tournament progresses. The franchise won the toss and opted to field, following which Mumbai went to pile a staggering 207/5 on the board in 20 overs. In response the entire unit collapsed like a pack of cards, except for Dayalan Hemalatha, who scored an unbeaten 29 off 23 balls. Apart from her Monica Patel was the only other player to reach double figures. She scored 10 off 9 balls before being cleaned up by Saika Ishaque.
