The Hundred: Jemimah Rodrigues to play for Northern Superchargers in upcoming season

London: India batter Jemimah Rodrigues has signed a last-minute deal to play for Northern Superchargers in the upcoming Hundred tournament in England, replacing Australia’s Heather Graham. The 22-year-old Rodrigues was among the leading run-scorers in the inaugural season of the Hundred but missed a major chunk of the competition last year due to a wrist injury. According to ESPNCricinfo, the Northern Superchargers had opted against retaining the Indian batter ahead of the draft in March this year, but have been able to bring her back in their side as an injury replacement. The development comes close to the news that Australia have withdrawn two of the country’s biggest players, Alyssa Healy and Ellyse Perry from the tournament, which is starting on 1 August and runs until 27 August. Both Healy and Perry have been called back after they suffered injuries during Australia’s second ODI against Ireland. Rodrigues thus became the fourth Indian player to feature in the Hundred this year, joining India captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who will play for Trent Rockets, India vice-captain Smriti Mandhana, who will play for Southern Brave, and the young wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh, who will take the field for London Spirit. The 22-year-old Rodrigues was quoted as saying in a release, “I’m so excited to be back in The Hundred. It’s a world class competition and I’ve had so much fun taking part in it previously.” “I was very disappointed to have to withdraw last year through injury so it’s great to be back. Headingley is a brilliant ground to play at with great fans and I can’t wait to be back out there, she added. Rodrigues had an ordinary run in the inaugural season of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) in March this year when she was named the vice-captain of the Delhi Capitals. However, her match-winning all-round show against Bangladesh (86 and 4/3) helped India level their three-match ODI series 1-1.