India batter Jemimah Rodrigues has been ruled out of The Hundred after sustaining a hamstring injury.
Rodrigues, a direct signing by Southern Brave for £60,000 (US$80,000 approx.), has been one of the franchise's most consistent performers. Her 143 runs from six innings has propelled Brave in the women's competition, where they sit joint top on 20 points with Trent Rockets, who lead on net run rate. The 25-year old has earned two Player-of-the-Match awards for her exploits.
It is a sizable blow for Brave, and the competition as a whole given Rodrigues' profile. Brave have two games left to secure automatic passage to the final by finishing top. Their remaining clashes are against Manchester Super Giants and Rockets.
It is also a potential headache for India with the Women's Asia Cup starting in the UAE at the end of the month. The extent of Rodrigues' hamstring injury has yet to be ascertained, and this could be a precautionary measure to preserve her fitness and prevent further damage. India's tournament gets underway in 22 days' time with an opening clash against Thailand in Dubai on August 30.
Brave have replaced Rodrigues with Australian allrounder Charli Knott, who returns to the Utilita Bowl after featuring for them in the 2024 edition. Knott has been in good T20 form this English summer with 404 runs and 27 wickets (the most) for The Blaze in their Vitality Blast-winning campaign.