Sushma Verma replaces Yastika Bhatia at TKR in WCPL final

Sushma Verma has been named as the replacement for Yastika Bhatia at Trinbago Knight Riders for the closing stages of the 2026 Women’s Caribbean Premier League. Bhatia is departing the franchise before the tournament concludes, and Verma will join TKR as they prepare for the final.

Trinbago Knight Riders finished at the top of the four-team league stage and have secured direct qualification for the WCPL 2026 final, which is scheduled for September 17 in Bridgetown. Bhatia’s exit is a significant one for the franchise, as she was the tournament’s second-highest run-scorer before her departure. With her departure, Verma becomes the sixth Indian to feature in WCPL 2026, joining Shikha Pandey at TKR and Kiran Navgire, Pooja Vastrakar and Harleen Deol at Barbados Tridents.

“It’s special to be part of the WCPL and I am grateful to the Knight Riders set-up for this opportunity. I feel it is the fruit of the hard work I have put into my T20 game,” said Verma to Cricinfo.

Why has Sushma Verma been brought into the TKR squad?

Verma was called up specifically to fill the vacancy created by Bhatia’s early exit for national duty. Her most recent franchise cricket came with Gujarat Giants during the 2023 Women’s Premier League, where she scored 42 runs across five innings at a strike rate of 79.24. That remains her only previous franchise experience at this level.

Her form in the 2025-26 domestic one-day competition gave selectors reason to take notice. Verma struck nine sixes across six innings, the third-highest total by any batter in that tournament. She last appeared in an international squad at the T20I tri-series in South Africa in 2023, though she did not get a game during that tour.

What is Yastika Bhatia’s next assignment after leaving TKR?

Bhatia has been appointed to captain India A in a three-match one-day series against Australia A, with the first game scheduled for September 20, 2026. A four-day match will follow the one-day series, making her India A commitment a substantial one that required her to leave TKR before the WCPL knockouts were complete.

Her departure is notable given her contribution to TKR’s campaign. As the tournament’s second-highest run-scorer, she played a central role in helping the franchise top the league stage. TKR, however, enter the September 17 final in Bridgetown having already confirmed their place in the title match, and will now look to Verma and the rest of their squad to carry that momentum forward.

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