Leg spinner Poonam Yadav on Friday became the eighth Indian cricketer to be signed up for the upcoming Women’s Big Bash League and will play for the Brisbane Heat.
The 30-year-old will be making her debut in the Australian T20 league, after being picked to replace New Zealand spinning all-rounder Amelia Kerr. Heat is captained by premier Australian spinner Jess Jonassen.
Yadav will be best remembered by Australian cricket followers for her stunning spell (4/19) that saw the eventual champions lose their opening game at the T20 World Cup last year. The Indian is currently the eighth ranked bowler in the ICC T20 International rankings and has 98 wickets.
“It’s very exciting to welcome a player of her class and experience into our group. We know there is a lot of upside to Poonam coming on board this summer,’ Heat coach Ashley Noffke was quoted as saying on the team’s official website.
“She is a different type of bowler to Melie, and we are clear on how we can best utilise her talents in our line-up. Jess Jonassen has played against her and as captain, she is very keen to work alongside her now she is with the Heat,” he added.
Smriti Mandhana and Deepti Sharma (Sydney Thunder), Shafali Verma and Radha Yadav (Sydney Sixers), and Jemimah Rodrigues and Harmanpreet Kaur (Melbourne Renegades) and Richa Ghosh (Hobart Hurricanes) are the other Indians set to feature in WBBL 2021.
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