Jemimah Rodrigues chose to remain in India to support her teammate Smriti Mandhana, whose wedding was postponed, so she will miss the WBBL season in Australia.
Jemimah was supposed to fly back to finish her Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) assignment with Brisbane Heat after returning last week to attend Smriti’s wedding on November 23. However, the wedding was postponed since Smriti’s father fell ill on the eve of the event. Jemimah then made the decision to stand by Smriti’s side.
”The Brisbane Heat have agreed to a request to release Jemimah Rodrigues from the remainder of the Women’s Big Bash League,” said Brisbane Heat in a statement.
“Rodrigues returned home to India after the Heat’s match against the Hobart Hurricanes 10 days ago as part of a pre-arranged commitment where she was to be involved in Indian team-mate Smriti Mandhana’s wedding last weekend. However, the celebrations were subsequently postponed due to a health issue with Mandhana’s father,” the statement added.
Jemimah’s request for release was approved, according to the club.
”Rodrigues will stay in India to support her team-mate, and the Heat has agreed to her not returning for the final four games of the WBBL season.”
Jemimah was instrumental in helping India win their first Women’s World Cup, smashing an undefeated century in the semifinal match against Australia, the seven-time champions, as the hosts chased down a daunting 300+ total.
According to Terry Svenson, CEO of the Brisbane Heat, Jemimah was going through a “challenging” period, and the team granted her request.
”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,” he 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.” Svenson added.
At the ‘International Player’ draft earlier this year, Jemimah was the first pick by the Heat.
