Star Indian batters, Jemimah Rodrigues and Smriti Mandhana on Sunday, September 1 were announced in the list of Women’s Big Bash league (WBBL) 2024-25 draft picks. The two Indian batters were among the six Indians to feature in the WBBL 10 draft picks for the upcoming edition of the T20 tournament, which is played down under.
While Smriti Mandhana was pre-signed, Deepti Sharma and Jemimah Rodrigues were among the first round picks. Among the six Indian picks, Indian all-rounder Deepti was the fourth pick of the day as she was signed by the Melbourne Stars. Furthermore, speedster Shikha Pandey became the third Indian to be selected in the draft as she was signed by the Brisbane Heat. In the third round of the draft, Hemalatha Dayalan was picked by the Perth Scorchers, while Indian wicketkeeper-batter, Yastika Bhatia was signed by Stars.
Team India captain, Harmanpreet Kaur, who is one of the biggest names in women’s cricket, didn’t get picked, along with Radha Yadav and Shreyanka Patil, who also missed out a chance to join the competition.
List of WBBL 10 draft picks
Hobart Hurricanes: Danni Wyatt, Chloe Tryon, Lizelle Lee (retained)
Sydney Sixers: Sophie Ecclestone (retained), Amelia Kerr (pre-signed), Hollie Armitage
Melbourne Renegades: Deandra Dottin, Hayley Matthews (pre-signed), Alice Capsey
Melbourne Stars: Deepti Sharma, Marizanne Kapp (pre-signed), Yastika Bhatia
Sydney Thunder: Heather Knight (retained), Shabnim Ismail, Chamari Athapaththu (pre-signed), Georgia Adams
Adelaide Strikers: Laura Wolvaardt (retained), Smriti Mandhana (pre-signed), Orla Prendergast
Brisbane Heat: Jemimah Rodrigues, Shikha Pandey, Nadine de Klerk
Perth Scorchers: Sophie Devine (pre-signed), Amy Jones, D Hemalatha