Kanika Ahuja batted at No.3 for the first time in WPL.
Gujarat Giants (GG) suffered a massive blow in the latest WPL 2026 news, as their young talent Anushka Sharma has been out for a few matches due to a hand injury. However, Kanika Ahuja seized the opportunity at No.3 and demonstrated why management had put their trust in her abilities for such a crucial role.
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Kanika Ahuja batted at No.3 for the first time in WPL and came up with a quickfire knock against Mumbai Indians (MI), scoring 35 runs in 18 deliveries, with four boundaries and two maximums, at a strike rate of 194.44. Her knock ensured Gujarat Giants maximised the powerplay, scoring as many as 62 runs, despite losing Sophie Devine.
This was their third-highest powerplay score in WPL history, and Kanika was the aggressor with a strike rate of 222.22 and four boundaries during the field restrictions, even though her efforts went in vain as Mumbai Indians registered their second win. She had never batted higher than No.4 in WPL, and 85.71% of her total innings have been at No.5 or below, including her previous outing this season.
Following the game’s conclusion, Gujarat Giants head coach Michael Klinger revealed that Kanika Ahuja looked good in the training sessions, so they decided to promote her. Additionally, she was given a few valuable tips about batting before going in to bat at No.3.
“We probably had a couple of options in that [No. 3] spot. Once we realised that Anushka was going to be unavailable for a game or two, we felt Kanika had been training really well. [She’s] another left-hander up the top who can play pace and spin well, and I thought she played brilliantly today. We spoke to her about playing some strong shots, not trying to over-hit the ball, and I felt she did that really well, both to pace and spin, hitting through and over the field brilliantly.”
Anushka Sharma will likely miss a few more matches in the near future, and Kanika should continue at No.3 in her absence. If her performances remain the same, Gujarat Giants won’t mind giving her an extended batting role even when Anushka returns going forward in WPL 2026.
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