Ireland's Prendergast makes history with WPL move
Ireland all-rounder Orla Prendergast will join WPL side the Gujarat Giants
- Published
Orla Prendergast is set to become the first Irish woman to feature in the Women's Premier League (WPL) after being bought by the Gujarat Giants at a recent player auction.
The 24-year-old, who is currently playing for Brisbane Heat in Australia's Women's Big Bash League, will now compete in one of the biggest tournaments in the sport.
The WPL is a professional women's T20 cricket league in India, organised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), and is the female equivalent of the men's Indian Premier League (IPL).
Since making her Ireland debut in 2019, Prendergast has now firmly established herself as a key figure in the national side.
The all-rounder was named in the Team of the Tournament at ICC's Women's T20 World Cup in June, and has continued to grow her reputation through franchise cricket.
Prendergast, who has represented three different teams in competitions around the world alongside several spells in English domestic cricket, said it was "really cool" to make history.
"I've watched the WPL for the last few years since it started and it looks like a real spectacle for women's cricket played in some amazing stadiums with some really big crowds," Prendergast said.
"The Gujarat Giants have an unbelievable team with some incredible other overseas so it will be a great experience to play with those players and hopefully learn a lot more."
The move will also give the 24-year-old further opportunities to work alongside the top players in the world, which she believes has already been central to her development.
"To be able to rub shoulders with them and see how they go about their business is a privilege. To see how hard they work and what their recovery programme is like - and things like that that sets them apart from all the other teams in the world, you can really learn so much from the way they go about things," Prendergast said.
"It's also nice to hear different opinions and different perspectives on your game as well as different things you do well or need to work on, so working under world-class coaches in tournaments like this another real positive of playing franchise cricket."
The fifth edition of the Women's Premier League (WPL) will take place from 14 January to 7 February 2027.