Gujarat Giants have appointed Michael Klinger as head coach ahead of the second season of the Women’s Premier League (WPL 2024). The former Australian batsman replaced Rachel Haynes as the team’s head coach.
The Gujarat-based team has decided to change their head coach after a memorable campaign in the inaugural season of the WPL. They lost 6 out of 8 league games and finished at the bottom of the points table in the 5-team competition. The franchise will be desperate for his WPL redemption in 2024 and will hope that the appointment of Michael Klinger will change their fortunes.
The former batsman will work alongside bowling coach Noushin Al Qadir and mentor Mithali Raj in the team. Expressing his delight at his new appointment, Raj said, “Working with Michael, I will be able to bring out the best in the Gujarat Giants players.”
“His expertise with the bat is also well known and will definitely benefit the younger members of the team.” We look forward to having Klinger in the dressing room. We are confident we will be successful with him as our head coach,” she added.
Michael Klinger as coach:
Michael Klinger has been working hard as a trainer since his career ended in 2019. He was the head coach of Big Bash League team Melbourne Renegades for several seasons starting in the 2019/20 season. Most recently, he was an assistant for Sydney Thunder in the WBBL where he also served as a coach and the team finished in fourth place with him.
Gujarat Giants not only got a new coach but also strengthened their team with some new signings during the auction. They have signed players such as Kashvi Gautam, Phoebe Litchfield, Kathryn Blyth and Veda Krishnamurthy for WPL 2024. The second edition of this tournament is scheduled to be held from February 23rd, with the Giants facing defending champions Mumbai Indians on February 25th.
