India batter Jemimah Rodrigues will return to the Women’s Big Bash League in Australia, making the Melbourne switch from the red of Renegades to the green of Stars.
“Rodrigues makes the switch from cross town rivals, the Melbourne Renegades, where she played 13 games in WBBL 07. She becomes the first Indian player to have signed for the Melbourne Stars,” the team said on Tuesday.
The Stars announced Rodrigues’ arrival with a clip of their current players choosing green over red.
Rodrigues – who played alongside Harmanpreet Kaur for Renegades – scored 333 runs at a strike rate of over 116 last season. Renegades had earlier re-signed the Indian captain.
“I am super excited to be a part of the Stars family,” Rodrigues said. “I’ve been told that I’m the first ever Indian to sign for the Stars and it is my honour to do so. Melbourne has always been my favourite city in Australia and I can’t wait to get back there.”
Rodrigues, who recently had to withdraw from The Hundred mid-season to recuperate from an injury, has been named in the India squads on tour in England for three ODIs and three T20Is.
Rodrigues is the third Indian player to sign on for WBBL 08 alongside Harmanpreet Kaur and all-rounder Pooja Vastrakar, who has signed for Brisbane Heat.
The WBBL season begins October 13 this year, and the Indian contingent might be missing few of the early games with the Asia Cup coming to a conclusion around that time.
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