Meet Gujarat Giants’ Kathryn Bryce, WPL 2024’s only associate player

Tata WPL 2024: Kathryn Bryce (right) made an impression with her 24-ball 25 that helped take Gujarat Giants past 120. She also dismissed Mumbai Indians opener Yastika Bhatia, restricting her to just 7 runs in the match on February 25, 2024. (Image via X/@wpl2024)

Scotland captain Kathryn Bryce, the sole representative from the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Associate Member nations and the first player from the European country, made her maiden bow in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) on Sunday. The 26-year-old allrounder, who bowls medium-pace and bats right-handed, debuted for the Beth Mooney-led Gujarat Giants during their fixture against Harmanpreet Kaur’s Mumbai Indians at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

MI vs Gujarat Giants: Kathryn Bryce’s all-round effort

Though the Gujarat Giants (GG) lost the match by five wickets, Kathryn Bryce made an impression with her 24-ball 25 that helped take GG past 120. Her 36-ball 48-run stand with Tanuja Kanwer gave the team total a semblance of respectability.

With the ball, too, Bryce made an immediate impact. Handed the ball in the third over, she gave Giants the first breakthrough, having opener Yastika Bhatia, one of Mumbai Indians’ (MI’s) half-centurions from their previous game, hole out for just a run-a-ball seven in a wicket-maiden. She finished with figures of 3-1-22-1.

“She’s one of the players we’re looking at who will give us four overs,” said Mithali Raj, Giants’ team mentor and former India captain, during a sideline interview with the host broadcaster on Sunday. “She has really good variations, something that suits this format, and she’s been very handy with the bat that we got to see today.”

Tanuja Kanwer (centre). (Image source: X/@wplt20)

WPL’s Associate rule

In the Indian Premier League (IPL), only four overseas players are allowed in the final XI. The WPL, by contrast, has a rule that states, “A team will be allowed to have a maximum of five overseas players, four of whom may come from Full Member nations and the fifth from an Associate Member nation.” As a result, Giants were able to field five overseas players against Mumbai: Beth Mooney, Phoebe Litchfield, Ashleigh Gardner, Lea Tahuhu and Bryce.

WPL auction history

Bryce’s appearance in the third match of WPL 2024 made her only the second Associate cricketer to play in the WPL after the United States of America’s Tara Norris, who plied her trade for the Delhi Capitals in the inaugural season. Norris was released by the Capitals ahead of the mini auction in December last year. While she found no takers at the auction, Bryce was bought by Giants for INR 10 lakh.

Kathryn Bryce: International and league experience

Capped thrice in ODIs and 40 times in T20Is, Bryce was named the ICC's Associate Women's Player of the Decade for 2011-20, though she made her debut in a match carrying international status only in 2018, during a T20I against Uganda in Almeria, Spain. She has three fifties and as many wickets in ODIs and eight half-centuries and 37 wickets in T20Is.

In Scotland's maiden appearance in ODIs, in October last year, 17 months after the ICC announced the country as one of five women's sides to gain ODI status, Bryce captained the side to victory against Ireland. She made an impressive 78 in their 40-run win and was adjudged Player of the Match.

On the domestic league circuit, she has played for Manchester Originals and Trent Rockets in The Hundred in the UK and for Warriors at the FairBreak Invitational.

Her younger sister, Sarah, also plays for Scotland.