Jemimah set to skip the remainder of the WBBL for the Heat as she will remain in India and will support Mandhana.
Jemimah Rodrigues, an Indian batter, will miss the remainder of the WBBL season after her team, the Brisbane Heat, granted her plea to stay in India.
As part of a prearranged commitment, Rodrigues had played three games with the Heat before returning home on November 15 against the Hobart Hurricanes. Last weekend, she was scheduled to attend the wedding of her close friend and teammate from India, Smriti Mandhana. However, Mandhana’s father’s health problem forced a last-minute postponement of the event. To help Mandhana, Rodrigues will remain in India.
“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 obviously wish her and Smriti Mandhana’s family all the best for the future.
“Jemi told us she was disappointed not to be coming back and has passed on her appreciation to the club and the Heat fans for being so understanding of the circumstances. She has been in touch with the players and wished them all the best for the rest of their games.”
After assisting India Women in winning their first ODI World Cup earlier this month, Rodrigues, 25, hit 37 runs at an average of 12.33 and a strike rate of 102.77 in the three WBBL games.
However, the return of all-rounder Grace Harris will help the Heat against the Sydney Sixers on November 28. As part of her workload management strategy, Harris will take over for seamer Lily Bassingthwaighte, who missed the previous match.
After losing all six of their games this season, the Heat are looking for their first victory.