Jemimah Rodrigues to skip remaining matches of WBBL, to stay back for Smriti Mandhana after wedding postponed
Mandhana was supposed to marry music composer Palash Muchhal on November 23, but the wedding was postponed after her father, Srinivas Mandhana, was taken to a hospital in Sangli with heart attack-like symptoms.
PTC News Desk: Jemimah Rodrigues has decided to stay in India to support her close friend and teammate Smriti Mandhana, instead of going back to play for the Brisbane Heat in the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL). The team said they agreed to let Jemimah miss the rest of the tournament for her friend.
Mandhana was supposed to marry music composer Palash Muchhal on November 23, but the wedding was postponed after her father, Srinivas Mandhana, was taken to a hospital in Sangli with heart attack-like symptoms. The next day, Palash was also admitted to a hospital in Sangli. Although the situation initially seemed serious, Palash’s mother later said that he has returned to Mumbai and is recovering. Because of these health issues, the family decided to postpone all the wedding plans for now.
Jemimah and Mandhana share a strong friendship both on and off the field.
Brisbane Heat CEO Terry Svenson said the decision was made keeping Jemimah’s well-being in mind. She had played only three matches this season before flying back to India for Mandhana’s wedding events.
"The Brisbane Heat have agreed to a request to release Jemimah Rodrigues from the remainder of the Weber Women’s Big Bash League."
"Rodrigues returned home to India after the Heat’s match against the Hobart Hurricanes 10 days ago as part of a pre-arranged commitment where she was to be involved in Indian teammate Smriti Mandhana’s wedding last weekend."
"However, the celebrations were subsequently postponed due to a health issue with Mandhana’s father."
"Rodrigues will stay in India to support her teammate, and the Heat has agreed to her not returning for the final four games of the WBBL season," read the statement.