India wicketkeeper-batter Yastika Bhatia is back in the Women's Big Bash League, this time with Brisbane Heat, as a replacement for Jess Jonassen, ESPNcricinfo reported. Jonassen has been ruled out of the tournament because of a hip problem.
Bhatia, 25, will join the Heat squad before their second match of the season, against Sydney Thunder in Sydney on November 1, and will stay for the entire tournament. She is the only Indian in this year's competition. She recently played for Trinbago Knight Riders in the Women's Caribbean Premier League.
What the coach said
"Being able to sign such a quality, experienced international player so close to the tournament is great boost for us," Heat head coach Mark Sorrell said. "We will miss Jess, of course, but it is reassuring to bring in another strong scoring left-hander into our batting line-up."
"Yastika has good experience playing in Australia and at Allan Border Field, so we are confident she will fit in nicely with the group," he added.
Her record
- International experience: four Tests, 28 ODIs and 26 T20Is.
- In Australia: one Test, three ODIs and two T20Is.
- WBBL 2024: six matches for Melbourne Stars, 154 runs, second only to Meg Lanning's 158 for the team, but at a strike rate of 104.76.
Heat's other overseas players are England spinner Sarah Glenn and Ireland all-rounder Orla Prendergast.
Background: a comeback year
Bhatia ruptured her ACL in September last year and missed nearly 18 months of cricket, including India's ODI World Cup win in 2025, according to ESPNcricinfo. She returned to international cricket at the T20 World Cup in England in June. In July, she became the first woman to score a Test century at Lord's, in India's 270-run win over England.