Indian legspinner Poonam Yadav has been signed by Brisbane Heat for the upcoming season of the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL), scheduled to begin on October 14.
Yadav will join South Africa’s all-round duo of Anne Bosch and Nadine de Klerk in the side which will be led by Jess Jonassen.
Yadav, 30, was signed after New Zealand leg-spinner Amilia Kerr withdrew from upcoming edition of the WBBL citing personal reasons.
Brisbane Heat had reached the semifinal of the tournament in the previous season.
Commenting on Yadav, Heat head coach Ashley Noffke said the franchise was delighted to sign a player of such calibre this close to the start of the series.
“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,’’ he said.
“When we lost Amelia Kerr, we were confident we could back our group to give a good account of themselves regardless. But adding Poonam’s skill and her competitiveness is a huge result. 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 was quoted as saying by the Heat’s website.
“We think Poonam will also be very good for the younger players in the squad – she has demonstrated her composure on the biggest stage in the world at the MCG and played cricket at a high level in a number of countries. We’re really keen for her to share those insights with our players during the tournament and will urge the group to learn as much as they can. We’re looking forward to introducing her to everyone once the International series is completed and getting ready for the Tasmanian leg of the tournament,” he added.
Brisbane Heat will begin their WBBL 07 campaign against Perth Scorchers on October 17 in Blundstone Arena, Hobart.
Recently, Richa Ghosh was signed by Hobart Hurricanes for the upcoming seventh season of the tournament.
Prior to her, India’s young batting sensation Shafali Verma and left-arm spinner Radha Yadav were acquired by Sydney Sixers for the upcoming season of the WBBL.
Another Indian duo of Smriti Mandhana and Deepti Sharma were signed as replacement players by Sydney Thunder.
After Poonam Yadav’s signing, the total number of Indians to feature in the upsoming season of WBBL becomes eight. Smriti Mandhana, Deepti Sharma (Sydney Thunder), Shafali Verma, Radha Yadav (Sydney Sixers), Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur (Melbourne Renegades), and Richa Ghosh (Hobart Hurricanes) are the Indians set to play in the seventh edition of the league.