Ahead of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2024 season, starting on February 23, Gujarat Giants have suffered a big blow as rising star Kashvee Gautam, the most expensive uncapped Indian player in WPL history, has been ruled out of the competition due to an injury.

The Giants had shelled out INR 2 crore to secure the services of Kashvee. They have named Mumbai's Sayali Sathgare as a replacement at a reserve price of INR 10 lakhs.

With less than a week remaining for the WPL 2024, Royal Challengers Bangalore have also been marred by an injury. India all-rounder Kanika Ahuja won’t feature in the tournament owing to an injury.

RCB have named Shradda Pokharkar, Maharashtra’s left-arm fast bowler as a replacement. She has been signed at a reserve price of Rs 10 lakhs.

Talking about Kashvee Gautam, she was excited to work with India legend Mithali Raj, who is a mentor at Gujarat Giants.

“It’s a huge opportunity for me to showcase my skills. We have always looked up to Mithali ji. It’s a great opportunity for me to interact with her and seek tips from her,” she had said.

Kashvee had put in a lot of hard work on her range hitting to play the role of the finisher for the franchise.

“I think teams need to be more impactful in the lower middle order batting. They need to accelerate in the last 3-4 overs, so I have practised accordingly. I have worked on range hitting. I have to be flexible with my bowling, to be able to bowl well with both the new and old balls,” she stated.