Dani Gibson Appointed Sunrisers Leeds Captain for Women's Hundred

Dani Gibson named captain of Sunrisers Leeds for the 2026 Women’s Hundred season. She’s the highest-paid English player in the competition after fetching £190,000 at the first-ever Women’s Hundred auction in March.

Gibson, the seam-bowling allrounder who is part of England's squad for this month's T20 World Cup, has no senior captaincy experience but has been chosen to lead Sunrisers this year. She effectively succeeds Hollie Armitage, who captained Northern Superchargers to the title last year but was signed by MI London (formerly Oval Invincibles) at the auction.

Gibson hasn’t played for England since October 2024 due to injury, but Sunrisers Leeds backed her heavily in the auction – outbidding even England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt and Lauren Bell, who were on £50k pre-auction deals. Only Australia’s Beth Mooney and NZ’s Sophie Devine went for higher prices at £210k each.

Sunrisers Leeds are reigning champions and built a stacked all-rounder lineup around Gibson: Internationals: Phoebe Litchfield, Annabel Sutherland, Jess Jonassen, Deepti Sharma. England core: Kate Cross, Bryony Smith, plus young bowlers Cassidy McCarthy and Rachel Slater.

"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."

Armitage (MI London) and Charlie Dean (London Spirit) have both recently been confirmed as captains of their respective franchises for 2026, while the appointments of Ellyse Perry (Birmingham Phoenix) and Meg Lanning (Manchester Super Giants) had already been announced before March's auction.

Bottom line: Gibson takes over as skipper for Sunrisers Leeds as they defend their title, after becoming the top-earning English player at the Women’s Hundred auction. Tournament runs July 21 to August 16, 2026.