Explained: Why can’t Gujarat Giants sign replacement for injured Yastika Bhatia in WPL 2026?
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Gujarat Giants picked Yastika Bhatia for INR 50 lakh in the WPL 2026 mega auction.
Indian Women wicket-keeper batter Yastika Bhatia has been ruled out of Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 due to a knee injury. She was acquired by Gujarat Giants (GG) in the WPL 2026 auction after the franchise picked her at INR 50 lakh.
Despite Yastika being ruled out of WPL 2026, the Gujarat Giants can’t replace her with any other player in the tournament. Notably, the wicket-keeper batter also missed the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 in October-November due to her knee injury.
Uma Chhetry was picked as a wicket-keeper batter in her absence in the ICC tournament, where India Women won the title by defeating South Africa Women in the final. Prior to the tournament, Bhatia also missed the ODI series against Australia Women.
Despite Bhatia still recovering from her knee injury at the time of WPL 2026 mega auction in November, Gujarat inducted her in their squad at INR 50 lakh against her base price of INR 30 lakh. However, they will miss her services in the tournament.
Why injured Yastika Bhatia can’t be replaced in Gujarat Giants squad for WPL 2026?
Gujarat Giants can’t replace her because Yastika was already injured when they bought her at the auction. Under the current BCCI rules, teams are not allowed to replace players who were unavailable at the time of purchase in the auction. The Governing body made the rule clear ahead of the WPL 2026 mega auction.
A similar case will be there for Pratika Rawal, who was signed by the UP Warriorz. If she gets ruled out of the tournament, the franchise won’t be able to replace her.
Meanwhile, Ashleigh Gardner will captain Gujarat Giants in WPL 2026. They will play their opening game of the tournament against UP Warriorz on Saturday, January 10. The WPL 2026 will commence on January 9 with the opening game between Mumbai Indians (MI) Women and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Women.
When will WPL 2026 start?
The WPL 2026 will start on January 9.
Yastika Bhatia was picked by which team in WPL 2026 auction?
Yastika Bhatia was picked by Gujarat Giants in WPL 2026 auction for INR 50 lakh.
What injury is Yastika Bhatia recovering from?
Yastika Bhatia is recovering from a knee injury.
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Vikas Singh Derek is a core cricket-lover since childhood and has always followed the sport both in his personal and professional life. He started his school life by watching cricket at home with family. Later, he played cricket on the field at local clubs during college. After his Master's in Journalism from Mumbai, he followed his passion by covering cricket news across various digital media. Since 2015, he has been an aspiring sports journalist and cricket content writer with over 50K+ articles.