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Yastika Bhatia joins Brisbane Heat after the WBBL season has started

4 Nov 2026 · The First 90 Days

Yastika Bhatia is starting an overseas season late. Brisbane Heat signed the India wicketkeeper-batter in late October, just before the tournament began, to replace Jess Jonassen, who was ruled out of the Women's Big Bash League with a hip injury.

PTI reports she was busy with India's ODI series against Zimbabwe in Vadodara, and the Heat said she would miss the opening game against the Sydney Sixers on Friday 30 October while she travelled. She was due to join the squad in Sydney for the match against the Sydney Thunder at Drummoyne Oval on Sunday 1 November, and is available for the rest of the tournament.

She is not new to Australia. Bhatia played six games for the Melbourne Stars in WBBL|10, and is the only Indian player in this year's competition. She missed nearly 18 months of cricket after rupturing her ACL in September 2025, and in July she became the first woman to score a Test century at Lord's.

Heat coach Mark Sorrell said: "Being able to sign such a quality, experienced international player so close to the tournament is great boost for us." Her fee has not been reported.

What it means for the move

A replacement signing is the first 90 days squeezed into a few days. Visa, flights, a place to stay and a way to get paid all have to be sorted at the same time as the cricket.

Players on short-notice deals can find the first pay arrives well after the first expense. Confirm before you fly how and when you are paid, who covers the accommodation and what the club handles on paperwork. Keep a cash buffer in the currency you will actually be spending.

If the pay is in Australian dollars and the household budget is back home in another currency, the exchange rate becomes part of what the stint is worth.

Sources