Gujarat Giants have released England batter Danni Wyatt-Hodge ahead of the WPL 2027 auction. The franchise released four players, the fewest among all teams, and Wyatt-Hodge was one of them.
Earlier in 2026, she became the first woman to score more than 300 runs at a T20 World Cup. Her release was connected to GG’s overseas combination and England’s international commitments during the WPL period. Head coach Michael Klinger explained why the franchise decided to move on from her after limited opportunities last season.
Wyatt-Hodge played only once for Gujarat Giants in WPL 2026. She missed the next game after falling ill and could not get back into the playing XI. Georgia Wareham returned to the team and had a good game as a middle-order all-rounder. GG then continued with that four-overseas combination for the rest of the tournament. Klinger said he felt for Wyatt-Hodge because she had started reasonably well, but the team found a combination that worked after Wareham came back.
“Last year she didn’t quite fit into our four overseas lineup for the majority of the time,” Klinger said. “I actually felt for her because she came in for one game, started reasonably well, and then got sick just before the start of the next game and then got left out and Georgia Wareham came back in and had a really good game. We stuck with that middle-order all-round option for the rest of the tournament. So I felt for her a little bit last season.”
Wyatt-Hodge’s limited role came despite her strong international form. Her place was affected by the balance GG found with Wareham in the middle order. The WPL 2027 schedule also became part of the discussion. The tournament is scheduled from January 14 to February 7, while England are due to tour Sri Lanka for a six-match white-ball series from mid-February to mid-March 2027. The Women’s Champions Trophy, originally planned for June-July, has also been moved to a fortnight in February and will be hosted by India.
At least some of England’s away tour could clash with the WPL. This created another possible availability issue for Wyatt-Hodge during a busy international period. Klinger said Wyatt-Hodge and her agent had discussed the possibility of playing cricket during that period. “England do have commitments during the WPL, and if we were to go with a similar sort of setup, then she’d probably be sitting on the bench again,” he said.
“I spoke to both her and her agent, and I think they’re keen to be playing some cricket during that time leading into the Champions Trophy. So I’m not sure if she’s going to enter the auction or not, but she was quite keen to play that series for England around that same time as well.” Her wish to play before the Champions Trophy was therefore part of the discussion.
Klinger said the release could give both sides an option. “So probably for both parties, it was the best way to go. It gives us another option in the auction to potentially go for either the same skill set or a different skill set.” For Gujarat Giants, the move leaves space to consider another overseas player at the auction. The franchise can look for a cricketer with a similar role or choose a different skill set, depending on its plans.
For Wyatt-Hodge, the release follows a season where she played only once for GG. Her future participation in the auction remains uncertain, while the franchise has an opening to shape its overseas combination for WPL 2027.
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Source: femalecricket.com
