New Delhi: Mumbai Indians (MI) fast-bowling allrounder Pooja Vastrakar and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) legspinner Asha Sobhana have been ruled out from the entire WPL 2025 with injuries.
Both franchises have named replacements ahead of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) opening match which is scheduled to begin on February 14 at the Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara. MI have picked Parunika Sisodia as a replacement for Pooja Vastrakar while Royal Challengers Bengaluru picked wicketkeeper-batter Nuzhat Parween as a replacement for Asha Sobhana.
Mumbai Indians head coach Charlotte Edwards said during the pre-season press conference that Vastrakar has been a big player for the team, so filing her void could be a huge challenge for the franchise. Sisodia isn’t a like-for-like replacement for the all-rounder but her recent performances have been brilliant.
She picked up five wickets across the semi-final and the final of the Under-19 World Cup, helping Team India to become back-to-back champions. She was also adjudged as the Player of the Match in the semi-final against England. She joins MI for Rs 10 lakh.
Asha’s unavailability has put RCB in more trouble as the franchise is already sweating on the fitness of Shreyanka Patil and Ellyse Perry. Asha took 12 wickets in 10 matches at an economy rate of 7.11 and helped RCB win their maiden WPL title last season.
Parween, the wicketkeeper from Railways has played five T20I matches for India and will join RCB for her base price of Rs 30 lakh. She has scored 134 runs at a strike rate of 101.51 for Railways in the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy. WPL 2025 will kick off on February 14, with defending champions RCB facing Gujarat Giants in Vadodara.
Updated squads of MI and RCB
MI updated squad: Amanjot Kaur, Amelia Kerr, Chloe Tryon, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Hayley Matthews, Jintimani Kalita, Natalie Sciver, Saika Ishaque, Yastika Bhatia, Shabnim Ismail, Amandeep Kaur, S. Sajana, Keerthana, Nadine de Klerk, G. Kamalini, Sanskriti Gupta, Akshita Maheshwari and Parunika Sisodia.
RCB updated squad: Smriti Mandhana (c), Sabbineni Meghana, Richa Ghosh, Ellyse Perry, Georgia Wareham, Shreyanka Patil, Sophie Devine, Renuka Singh, Sophie Molineux, Ekta Bisht, Kate Cross, Kanika Ahuja, Danni Wyatt, Prema Rawat, Joshitha VJ, Raghvi Bist, Jagravi Pawar and Nuzhat Parween.
Senior Indian cricketers Pooja Vastrakar and Asha Sobhana are ruled out of the 2025 WPL due to injuries. Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru have named replacements. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
