Yastika Bhatia to miss the entirety of the WPL 2026 as Gujarat Giants won’t get a replacement in her stead.
Yastika Bhatia, the wicketkeeper-batter for the Gujarat Giants (GG), will not play in the 2026 WPL.
Bhatia had an ACL surgery in October, thus her status for this season was never certain. Before the auction, the WPL informed the franchisees that they would not be permitted to replace her if a team selected her. In spite of this, GG and UP Warriorz (UPW) placed bids for her; the former won her for INR 50 lakh.
“Hope you are going well and hope the recovery is going well for you,” GG coach Michael Klinger said in a video posted by the franchise on social media. “Cannot wait to see you back fit and strong and be part of the Gujarat Giants in WPL season 5.”
Bhatia’s first season with GG would have been this one. She had been with the Mumbai Indians (MI) up to this point. She scored 506 runs in 28 games over the course of three seasons with an average of 18.74 and a strike rate of 113.45.
Bhatia was spotted outside supporting her team alongside the team owners during GG’s first game against UPW in Navi Mumbai. The high-scoring game was ultimately won by GG by 10 runs.
The only teams who haven’t made it to the final in three seasons are GG and UPW.