Indian superstar Jemimah Rodrigues will return to the Weber Women’s Big Bash League for the second season in a row as she strives to lift the Brisbane Heat to the title this summer.
RODRIGUES RETURNS! Indian Star Retained
The right-hander was a stand-out for the Heat last summer, with her class and creativity at the crease inspiring Brisbane as they won six matches in a row to make the WBBL Final for the second time in as many seasons.
The 24-year-old was the club’s second leading scorer for the season, hitting 267 runs at a strike-rate of 139.06, with the Heat finishing as runners-up to the Melbourne Renegades.
Rodrigues was claimed by the Heat in the first round of the WBBL international player draft today in Melbourne after the Melbourne Stars used their third pick to make a play for the star Indian batter.
However, the Heat utilised their retention pick to secure her for a further season.
The effervescent top order batter expressed her delight in returning to the Heat in a message to WBBL fans: “I’m super, super, super excited to be rejoining you all back in Brisbane.”
Rodrigues is coming off a career-high last month, hitting her highest One Day International score of 123 against Sri Lanka.
She and Brisbane Heat captain Jess Jonassen played together for the Delhi Capitals in this year’s Women’s Premier League in India where Delhi went close to snatching the title only to lose to Mumbai Indians in the decider.
The Heat also drafted powerful West Indian allrounder Chinelle Henry with their third-round pick after passing on their second-round pick.
Henry was a stand-out performer in the WPL earlier this year where she played for the UP Warriorz alongside Grace Harris.
The 29-year-old right-hand bat and right-arm medium pacer equaled the record for the fastest fifty in the tournament, scoring an 18-ball half-century.
She finished the tournament with a league-leading strike-rate of 196.
The Jamaican has played 57 One Day Internationals and 62 T20 Internationals for the West Indies with 33 one day wickets and 22 T20 wickets.
She was part of Barbados Royals' title win in the Women's Caribbean Premier League in 2023. This will be her first time playing in the WBBL.
South African allrounder Nadine de Klerk was drafted in the fourth round, having previously signed a multi-year deal last season to tie her to Brisbane for WBBL|11.
The addition of Rodrigues and Henry takes Brisbane’s roster to 11 players, with four players left to announce.
One of those four remaining recruits will be a signing that will take place after the T20 Spring Challenge that will function as a lead-in competition for the WBBL.
WBBL Brisbane Heat squad for WBBL|11 (to date):
Jess Jonassen, Nadine de Klerk (South Africa), Chinelle Henry (West Indies), Sianna Ginger, Lucy Hamilton, Nicola Hancock, Grace Harris, Charli Knott, Grace Parsons, Georgia Redmayne, Jemimah Rodrigues (India).