By Zainab Shafiq 
New Zealand captain and all-rounder Sophie Devine of Royal Challengers Bangalore has decided not to play the 2025 Women’s Premier League (WPL) to concentrate on her health. After seeking advice from doctors, Devine will head back home and abstain from playing the rest of the domestic season. New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has revealed that a statement about her cricketing future would be issued later.
Devine’s move has been well-supported by major organizations such as RCB, Cricket Wellington, and NZC. RCB, where Devine was retained after her contribution to their 2024 championship win, has not yet named a replacement for her absence.
NZC women’s high-performance development head Liz Green said the player well-being is paramount. “Player well-being is paramount to us. It takes precedence over everything else. Sophie has received exceptional support from the New Zealand Cricket Players Association and our high-performance unit staff. Everyone agrees this is the best course of action for her,” she said.
Though Devine hasn’t played recently, her past games have been appreciable. Representing Wellington in the running Super Smash tournament, she made 38 runs and took eight wickets in five matches with the best show of 5 for 13 against Canterbury last Friday.
Devine has had a packed cricketing calendar, featuring in ODIs against India, the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) for the Perth Scorchers, and the ODI series against Australia after New Zealand’s T20 World Cup win in October 2024. During the 2024 WPL season, she delivered a solid performance with six wickets and 136 runs in 10 matches, contributing significantly to RCB’s title victory.
The 2025 WPL season will start on February 15, with RCB facing the Gujarat Giants, and new additions like England’s Charlie Dean will be in the limelight.
Also, see:
Suryakumar Yadav stays away from stump microphone due to Rohit Sharma: Full story revealed