Jemimah Rodrigues skips WBBL, stays with Smriti Mandhana amid major ‘wedding’ crisis with Palash Muchhal
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Jemimah Rodrigues, who remained the only Indian player participating in the Women's Big Bash League this season, will miss the rest of the season after she decided to stay back in India to aid her teammate Smriti Mandhana, who is currently facing a down phase in her personal life.
World Cup-winning teammates Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues are known to have shared a strong bond, which transcends beyond the boundaries of the cricket ground. The two were also seen joyfully dancing during her pre-wedding rituals, before a tragedy struck the event.
Jemimah Rodrigues stays with Smriti Mandhana, skips WBBL
After a brief season with the WBBL franchise, Jemimah Rodrigues, the World Cup winner from India, returned to the country for a 10-day leave, which was part of the prearranged commitment between the franchise and the player.
This was meant for the marriage of her teammate, Smriti Mandhana, and after a disaster struck, she decided to stay back, and even the WBBL franchise backed her for her decision.
“Brisbane Heat have agreed to a request to release Jemimah Rodrigues from the remainder of the Weber Women’s Big Bash League. 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 teammate Smriti Mandhana’s wedding last weekend,” the franchise said in a statement.
“However, the celebrations were subsequently postponed due to a health issue with Mandhana’s father. Rodrigues will stay in India to support her teammate, and the Heat has agreed to her not returning for the final four games of the WBBL season.”
WBBL franchise Brisbane Heat had no qualm about Jemimah Rodrigues' request
Mandhana's wedding, which was scheduled for the 23rd of November, had been halted following her father's ill health. Not only has she had to battle with her father's poor health, but she also had to fight against the emotional toll caused by speculations of her fiancé cheating on her. At such a vulnerable point, the Brisbane Heat CEO Terry Svenson said that they had no second thoughts in accepting Jemimah's 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. She has been in touch with the players and wishes them all the best for the rest of their games.”
Rodrigues had a silent season for the Heat in the WBBL
Jemimah Rodrigues became the only player of Indian origin to have participated in the Women's Big Bash League season in Australia for her franchise, the Brisbane Heat. Just days after winning the World Cup, she arrived in Australia to feature in the WBBL's 11th edition.
Brisbane Heat picked Rodrigues as their number one international player during the player draft, and then he played three games for them. In the three games, she could only manage scores of 6, 11, and 20.
Even the Brisbane Heat have not had the best of seasons, as they have lost all of their 6 matches so far in this season of the WBBL, and despite that, this is a huge courtesy from their side to release one of their players to cater to the emotional needs of her friend.
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Tagged:
India Women National Cricket Team Smriti Mandhana Jemimah Rodrigues Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) Brisbane Heat Women
