Indian stars Jemimah Rodrigues and Deepti Sharma emerged as the first two picks in the Platinum round in a pulsating WBBL overseas draft. Jemimah Rodrigues was picked as the first pick by Brisbane Heat while Melbourne Stars snapped up Sharma as their top choice to set up an exciting season.
Rodrigues rejoins her Delhi Capitals and Trinbago Knight Riders teammate Jess Jonassen at Brisbane Heat. At the same time, Sharma – who played two seasons with Melbourne Stars captain Meg Lanning at London Spirit in The Hundred – will bring her all-round skills to the Stars.
To that effect, the draft was kick-started with Hobart Hurricanes picking Danni Wyatt in the platinum category. Sydney Sixers, Sydney Thunder and Adelaide Strikers retained Sophie Ecclestone, Heather Knight and Laura Wolvaardt. Melbourne Renegades got hold of the recently returned international cricket Deandra Dottin. India captain Harmanpreet Kaur was a surprise undraft.
The Brisbane Heat also picked Shikha Pandey, who will be making her debut in the WBBL. Pandey has played her club cricket in Queensland and continues at the Heat along with her Delhi Capitals and TKR teammates Rodrigues and Jonassen. Other main picks included Melbourne Stars getting Yastika Bhatia, Melbourne Renegades getting Alice Capsey and Perth Scorchers getting D Hemalatha.
Meanwhile, emerging Irish allrounder Orla Prendergast has been picked up in the final round by the Adelaide Strikers. She had recently captained Ireland in the ODIs against Sri Lanka and was lauded by her captain at the Strikers, Tahlia McGrath as a “superstar allrounder.”
With six Indian players featured in this year’s WBBL, the most in any edition, this year’s tournament promises to be a showcase of international cricketing talent.
How the WBBL overseas draft played out
Hobart Hurricanes: Danni Wyatt (platinum), Chloe Tryon (gold), Lizelle Lee (retained, gold)
Sydney Sixers: Sophie Ecclestone (retained, platinum), Amelia Kerr (pre-signed, platinum), Hollie Armitage (bronze)
Melbourne Renegades: Deandra Dottin (platinum), Hayley Matthews (pre-signed, platinum), Alice Capsey (gold)
Melbourne Stars: Deepti Sharma (platinum), Marizanne Kapp (pre-signed, platinum), Yastika Bhatia (silver)
Sydney Thunder: Heather Knight (retained, platinum), Shabnim Ismail (platinum), Chamari Athapaththu (pre-signed, gold), Georgia Adams (bronze)
Adelaide Strikers: Laura Wolvaardt (retained, platinum), Smriti Mandhana (pre-signed, silver), Orla Prendergast (bronze)
Brisbane Heat: Jemimah Rodrigues (platinum), Shikha Pandey (gold), Nadine de Klerk (bronze)
Perth Scorchers: Sophie Devine (pre-signed, platinum), Amy Jones (gold), D Hemalatha (silver)
Also, see:
Melbourne Stars Strengthen Squad with Three International Signings for WBBL|10
