Yastika Bhatia officially ruled out of WPL 2026

Yastika Bhatia, the Gujarat Giants' wicketkeeper-batter, will miss the 2026 season of the Women's Premier League, the franchise announced on January 10. She underwent ACL surgery in October last year, casting doubt on her tournament availability. Bhatia has joined the team in Navi Mumbai to watch their games from the stands.

Giants' coach Michael Klinger said, "Hope you are going well and hope the recovery is going well for you. Cannot wait to see you back fit and strong and be part of the Gujarat Giants in WPL season 5."

The BCCI informed all franchises of her unavailability before the auctions, meaning the Giants cannot sign a replacement player. Despite this, Gujarat Giants and UP Warriorz bid for her after she was released by Mumbai Indians. The Giants secured her for INR 50 lakh.

Bhatia joins a list of Indian players unavailable this season. UP Warriorz's Pratika Rawal also had availability concerns but found a bidder. Meanwhile, RCB's Pooja Vastrakar, recovering from a shoulder injury, has now injured her hamstring and is ruled out for at least two weeks.

In the first three WPL seasons, Bhatia scored 506 runs in 28 matches at a strike rate of 113.45 for Mumbai Indians. She formed a destructive opening partnership with Hayley Matthews and was part of two title-winning campaigns.