On September 1, 2024, Harmanpreet Kaur was not selected in the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) draft for its tenth season. The draft saw eight teams building their squads for the new season, but Kaur did not attract any bids.
Indian Players Chosen in the Draft
Despite Kaur’s omission, six Indian players were picked in the draft:
- Smriti Mandhana: She was pre-selected by the Adelaide Strikers, making her the first Indian player to be signed before the draft. Mandhana joins the reigning WBBL champions and will play under coach Luke Williams, whom she worked with at Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Women’s Premier League (WPL). This is her fourth WBBL team.
- Deepti Sharma: Drafted as the fourth pick by the Melbourne Stars. Sharma had a strong performance in the Women’s Hundred, scoring 212 runs in 8 matches for the London Spirit. She also excelled in the WPL, scoring 295 runs with an average of over 98 for the UP Warriorz.
- Jemimah Rodrigues: Selected as the seventh pick by Brisbane Heat. Rodrigues had an impressive WPL season, scoring 235 runs at a strike rate of 153.59. She joins the Heat’s squad as a valuable middle-order batsman.
- Shikha Pandey: Chosen as the 15th pick by Brisbane Heat. Despite recently losing her spot in the Indian team, Pandey’s experience makes her a strong addition.
- Dayalan Hemalatha: Picked as the first choice in the third round by Perth Scorchers, likely due to a recommendation from her Gujarat Giants captain, Beth Mooney.
- Yastika Bhatia: The last Indian player selected, Bhatia will join Deepti Sharma at the Melbourne Stars.
Notable Omissions
Notably absent from the draft were Shreyanka Patil, who had a standout season with the purple cap for RCB in WPL 2024, and Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur, despite her previous success with Melbourne Renegades.
The WBBL10 season is set to start on October 27, 2024, shortly after the Women’s T20 World Cup in the UAE. The Indian players are expected to stay in Australia for the WBBL before joining India’s tour of Australia.
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