Rich in every sense: how Ashleigh Gardner landed a $558,000 cricket deal

F un, fearlessness and first-rate talent can often be a winning combination, and in world No 1 allrounder Ashleigh Gardner, cricket has a fine example. A three-time World Cup winner, Commonwealth Games gold medallist, Ashes winner and WBBL champion, the 25-year-old has won pretty much everything there is to be won on the field.

Away from it, few cricketers speak their mind with as much candour as the Muruwari woman and the fence she is used to clearing with a bat in hand rarely finds Gardner sitting on it. Just the second female Aboriginal cricketer to represent Australia after Faith Thomas, she has made clear her commitment to empowering Indigenous youth, in particular through her Ashleigh Gardner Foundation.

And now, carrying an eye-watering $558,000 valuation after being picked by the Gujarat Giants for the inaugural Women’s Premier League (WPL) in India, Gardner is well on course to becoming cricket royalty with a reach capable of inspiring many in Australia and beyond.

“It will be a delightful thing to have her around with our WPL team,” says the Gujarat bowling coach, Nooshin Al Khadeer. “We were quite clear about having her around with her experience and the game she can get – it’s very helpful for this format.”

On auction day, a fierce bidding war culminated in Gujarat securing Gardner’s services for north of half-a-million dollars. She watched it unfold live on her phone alongside teammates Kim Garth and Megan Schutt after a training session at St George’s Park.

Over in Mumbai, among those present at the Giants auction table was Al Khadeer, who recently oversaw India’s title-winning campaign at the inaugural Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup. Alongside her were former India captain, team mentor and advisor