Gujarat Giants wicketkeeper-batter Yastika Bhatia has been ruled out of WPL 2026, but is not eligible to be replaced in their squad. Here’s why.
Yastika Bhatia was one of the injured players who entered the WPL 2026 auction, alongside VJ Joshitha and Pratika Rawal. She was later picked up by the Gujarat Giants for INR 50 lakh at the event, with the franchise hoping for her to be fit in time for the tournament.
Rawal was signed by the UP Warriorz, also for INR 50 lakh, after earlier going unsold, while Joshitha didn’t attract a bid. Notably, it was directed by the BCCI ahead of the auction that these players would not be counted towards the compulsory 15-member squad quota, and the franchises would not be allowed to sign replacements for them if they did not recover in time for the tournament.
Bhatia has been nursing a long-term knee injury, which had also ruled her out of a triumphant World Cup campaign for India, with Uma Chetry replacing her. Her last competitive game came in August 2025, when she played in the unofficial ODI series for India A against Australia A.
Bhatia represented the Mumbai Indians in the first three WPL seasons, winning the title with them twice, in 2023 and 2025.
Gujarat Giants’ wicketkeeping options for WPL 2026 in Yastika Bhatia’s absence
The BCCI’s rule regarding player replacements states that franchises won’t be allowed to sign replacements if a player picks up an injury before the auction, which was the case with Bhatia. Giants, as a result, will have to do without the India wicketkeeper-batter and find alternatives within their squad.
They have two other wicketkeeper-batters in the side in Beth Mooney and Shivani Singh, one of whom could don the gloves in Bhatia’s absence. The Giants begin their WPL 2026 campaign against UP Warriorz on January 10.
Gujarat Giants squad for WPL 2026
Ash Gardner (c), Beth Mooney (wk), Shivani Singh (wk), Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Sophie Devine, Georgia Wareham, Kim Garth, Renuka Singh Thakur, Titas Sadhu, Tanuja Kanwar, Kashvee Gautam, Kanika Ahuja, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Bharti Fulmali, Happy Kumar, Anushka Sharma, Ayushi Soni.
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