India batter Jemimah Rodrigues and fast bowler Shikha Pandey will play for Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) in the 2024 Women's Caribbean Premier League season. Australian batter Meg Lanning and left-arm spinner Jess Jonassen are the other overseas players in the TKR squad before the upcoming player draft later this month.
"This is the first time I'll be coming to the WCPL. I've played for India in the Caribbean quite a bit, but I'm really excited that I'll be representing the Knight Riders in WCPL," Rodrigues said. "We all know the legacy that they have across the globe. Even the TKR Women's team, champions of 2022, are a very proud side. I believe this tournament is also going to serve as a very good preparation for us leading up to the Women's World T20 in October, with some of the best players in the world taking part in the competition."
TKR have retained five players from the 2023 squad - Deandra Dottin, Shamila Connell, Kycia Knight, Zaida James and Samara Ramnath - and have six more spots to fill to complete the 15-player squad. They were winners of the inaugural edition in 2022.
"We are very excited to be able to retain the core of our local Caribbean players and sign up four world-renowned overseas players for this year's Women's CPL," Venky Mysore, CEO of Knight Riders Group, said in a statement. "Great to have Deandra Dottin captaining the team once again. She has been a fantastic leader of the side since the inaugural year, having played a crucial role both as captain and player since our title victory in 2022.
"Jemimah Rodrigues and Shikha Pandey will add volumes to the quality of the tournament, and we are very thankful to the BCCI for facilitating their first-ever appearance in the WCPL. The addition of these two big Indian names, along with super stars Meg Lanning and Jess Jonassen should excite cricket enthusiasts around the world, as we look forward to welcoming them all in TKR's red and black this August."
This year's CPL will be held in Trinidad from August 21 to 29, with all seven matches played at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy. The 2024 season will be contested by TKR, Guyana Amazon Warriors and defending champions Barbados Royals.
Trinbago Knight Riders pre-draft squad
Deandra Dottin, Meg Lanning, Jess Jonassen, Jemimah Rodrigues, Shikha Pandey, Kycia Knight, Shamila Connell, Zaida James, Samara Ramnath