Deandra Dottin "deeply disappointed" by "bewildering" reasons given for WPL omission

Gujarat Giants replaced the former West Indies allrounder after declaring that she was "recovering from a medcal situation"

Nick Friend | 20/03/2023 at 11:53

Deandra Dottin has described the reasons given by Gujarat Giants for her omission from their Women's Premier League squad as "bewildering".

The former West Indies star was a £60,000 signing for Gujarat at the WPL auction but then subsequently replaced by Kim Garth and left out of their plans, with the franchise initially declaring that Dottin – who retired from international cricket last August – was "recovering from a medical situation".

Dottin disputed that, responding on Twitter that she was "recovering from nothing", which led to a further statement from Gujarat, who suggested that they had been compelled to replace her because they could not get medical clearance for the big-hitting allrounder.

But after a fortnight of silence on the subject, Dottin published a lengthy statement on Sunday, further clarifying a situation that she remains "deeply disappointed by".

She explained that she had seen two specialists in December and January for treatment on some minor abdominal pain, for which it was suggested she rest until February 13, being cleared to resume training a day later.

dottin200302

^{Dottin retired from international cricket in 2022 (Michael Bradley/AFP via Getty Images)}

She wrote: "Consequently, I recommenced my personal training and fitness regime according to the guided timelines and experienced some soreness on the first day of resumed training which was anticipated and reasonable, given that I had been asked to rest in the weeks preceding training.

"I was transparent about this in correspondence with the Gujarat Giants physiotherapist, however, this was misconstrued and later conveyed to members of the franchise's management team as me 'experiencing abdominal pain post-session' which was not what I had indicated."

Dottin states that Gujarat then insisted she be further assessed locally in Canada, where she is based, despite already having been granted medical clearance by her treating surgeon.

The statement added: "To my shock, I was then forwarded email correspondence from the Giants' physiotherapist, that included the following demand: 'Deandra Dottin is strictly advised to submit her fitness report along with the recent scan by 26/02/2023. She will be deemed unfit for T20 matches in the WPL if she doesn't comply.'

"This request was sent on Saturday 25th February with the deadline provided being the following day – Sunday – making it near impossible to administer all stipulated medical tests, particularly over a weekend."

In light of ongoing speculation surrounding my exclusion from this year's Women's Premier League (WPL), please find attached, a brief statement from me that addresses and clarifies the events that led to my omission from the inaugural WPL tournament earlier this month. pic.twitter.com/SmiSnkMlrZ
— Deandra Dottin (@Dottin_5) March 19, 2023

Dottin said that on the following day she was reassured by a senior manager at the Adani Sportsline company that owns the franchise that she was considered "an integral part of the team" but still had to produce a new CT scan and relevant reports by March 1.

She added: "Whilst I was trying my utmost to arrange an expedited CT scan in accordance with the various deadlines I was being served, I received yet another email the following day (Monday, 27th February), this time from the Head of Adani Sportsline, stating that they were unable to find me a timely appointment at a private hospital from their end and that they would, thus, formally be seeking to replace me in the league."