Dani Gibson will front up as Sunrisers Leeds captain in this summer’s Women’s Hundred, only three months after the franchise paid a competition-high £190,000 for her services at the March auction. The seam-bowling all-rounder, part of England’s squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup, steps in for Hollie Armitage, who lifted the trophy with Northern Superchargers last season before switching to MI London.
The basics are stark: Gibson has never captained a senior side, yet she now inherits a dressing room that already features England seamer Kate Cross plus overseas pair Jess Jonassen and Lauren Winfield-Hill. Cross accepts it is a big ask. “It’ll probably be a challenge for her, but that’s what cricket looks like now,” she told ESPNcricinfo. “There’s nowhere to hide. No matter what you’re earning, there’s press at every game now… It really does feel like there’s pressure on everyone, all the time.”
Gibson’s price tag arrived after a brief but intense bidding tussle with Welsh Fire, making her the highest-paid English player in the women’s competition. Success, inevitably, has been accompanied by a degree of unease. “I really didn’t enjoy the week after… It wasn’t the nicest period, although it is such an amazing thing,” she admitted to the Cricketer. That honesty, allies believe, will serve her well when the season begins at Headingley.
Cross, retained before the auction, expects the 25-year-old to grow quickly. “It will be a challenge for Dani, but what we’re seeing with her in an England shirt at the minute is her finding that role, and her clarity of how she plays her cricket. She’s going to be a great addition for us up in Leeds.”
Elsewhere, franchise captaincies are gradually falling into place. Armitage will lead MI London, Charlie Dean has the armband at London Spirit, while Birmingham Phoenix and Manchester Super Giants nailed down Ellyse Perry and Meg Lanning respectively ahead of the auction. Expect more announcements in the coming weeks as squads finalise their combinations and, perhaps, keep half an eye on Gibson’s early moves in charge.
