Jemimah Rodrigues Withdraws from Remainder of WBBL Season to Stay in India

India batter Jemimah Rodrigues will miss the remainder of the WBBL season after Brisbane Heat agreed to her request to remain in India due to personal circumstances.

Rodrigues returned home after playing three matches for the Heat — her last appearance coming against Hobart Hurricanes on November 15 — under a pre-arranged commitment to attend the wedding of close friend and India team-mate Smriti Mandhana. The event was postponed at the last minute following a health issue involving Mandhana’s father, and Rodrigues has opted to stay on in India to support the family.

“It has obviously been a challenging time for Jemi, so while it is unfortunate that she will take no further part in the WBBL, we were more than willing to agree to her request to remain in India,” Heat CEO Terry Svenson said. “The Heat club wish her and Smriti Mandhana’s family all the best for the future.”

Rodrigues expressed her disappointment at not returning but thanked the club and fans for their understanding. The 25-year-old scored 37 runs at an average of 12.33 and a strike rate of 102.77 in her three matches for the Heat, arriving in Australia shortly after helping India win their maiden Women’s ODI World Cup title earlier this month.

Brisbane Heat will receive a timely boost with the return of allrounder Grace Harris for their match against Sydney Sixers on November 28. Harris steps back into the squad in place of seamer Lily Bassingthwaighte, who sat out the previous game as part of workload management.

The Heat are still searching for their first win of the season after starting their WBBL campaign with six consecutive losses.