Bridgetown, August 28: Indian cricketers Pooja Vastrakar, Kiran Navgire, Shikha Pandey, and Yastika Bhatia are set to participate in the upcoming season of the Women’s Caribbean Premier League. The tournament organizers made this announcement on Friday.
Except for Shikha, Pooja, Kiran, and Yastika will be making their debut in this tournament, which runs from September 5 to 17. All matches will take place at Kensington Oval. According to the tournament format, the team at the top of the points table in the group stage will advance to the finals, while the second and third-placed teams will compete in playoff matches to determine the second finalist.
All-rounder Pooja and explosive batter Kiran will represent the defending champions, Barbados Tridents. This Indian duo will join former New Zealand star Suzie Bates and her teammate, White Ferns’ Madeline Green, as part of the team’s foreign contingent.
Experienced pacer Shikha, who has participated in the last two CPL seasons, will team up with wicketkeeper-batter Yastika at Trinbago Knight Riders. This pair will play alongside South Africa‘s star all-rounder Marizanne Kapp, as well as Australia’s Laura Harris and leg-spinner Madeline Penna.
Pooja made her competitive cricket comeback earlier this year through the Women’s Premier League 2026. She had been sidelined due to shoulder surgery and a hamstring injury after the 2024 Women’s T20 World Cup. She participated in the Madhya Pradesh Women’s T20 League this year, where she led Chambal Gharial Women to the title. Her previous experience in foreign franchise cricket came while playing for Brisbane Heat in the 2022/23 Women’s Big Bash League. Kiran, who plays for UP Warriorz in the Women’s Premier League, will be participating in her first foreign T20 league in the Caribbean.
Yastika’s previous experience in foreign franchise cricket was with Melbourne Stars in the 2024/25 Women’s Big Bash League. She made history in July by becoming the first batter to score a century in a women’s Test at Lord’s. Just three days after the Women’s Caribbean Premier League concludes, she is set to lead India ‘A’ in 50-over and red-ball games against Australia ‘A’.
Former Australia captain Meg Lanning will debut for the franchise Jamaica Empress. Alongside her are Ireland’s opener Amy Hunter, South Africa’s left-arm spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba, New Zealand’s right-arm seamer Rosemary Mair, and Pakistan’s leg-spinner Syeda Arub Shah. This will be the first time both Rosemary and Syeda will play in the Women’s Caribbean Premier League.
On the other hand, Guyana Amazon Warriors have assembled a strong team to secure their first Women’s Caribbean Premier League title. The squad includes South Africa’s pace bowler Shabnim Ismail, all-rounders Chloe Tryon and Nadine de Klerk, top-order batsman Tazmin Brits, and Australia’s Erin Burns. Except for Tazmin, all international players signed by the Warriors have previous experience in the Women’s Caribbean Premier League.
2026 Women’s Caribbean Premier League Foreign Players:
Barbados Tridents: Madeline Green (New Zealand), Suzie Bates (New Zealand), Pooja Vastrakar (India), and Kiran Navgire (India).
Guyana Amazon Warriors: Shabnim Ismail (South Africa), Erin Burns (Australia), Chloe Tryon (South Africa), Tazmin Brits (South Africa), and Nadine de Klerk (South Africa).
Jamaica Empress: Meg Lanning (Australia), Amy Hunter (Ireland), Nonkululeko Mlaba (South Africa), Syeda Arub Shah (Pakistan), and Rosemary Mair (New Zealand).
Trinbago Knight Riders: Marizanne Kapp (South Africa), Shikha Pandey (India), Laura Harris (Australia), Madeline Penna (Australia), and Yastika Bhatia (India).
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