Gujarat Giants batter Harleen Deol has been ruled out of the rest of the WPL 2024 because of the injury she picked up in the early stages of the tournament. She has been replaced in the squad by batter Bharti Fulmali.

Deol injured her knee during Giants’ third group-stage match, against UP Warriorz in Bengaluru. Stationed at sweeper cover, she raced to her right to intercept a ball in the first over of Warriorz’s innings, and immediately clutched her left knee. She limped off the field and has not been seen in action since.

She didn’t have a great time of it in WPL 2024 anyway. Deol batted at No. 3 in Giants’ season opener, where she fell for 8. In the second game, she was slotted in as an opener where she scored 22 off 31 balls. For the match against Warriorz, she was back at No. 3, where she managed 18 off 24.

Her replacement, 29-year-old Fulmali, played two T20Is for India back in 2019 and plays for Vidarbha in domestic cricket. She was also part of the Trailblazers squad in the Women’s T20 Challenge, which preceded the WPL.

Deol’s absence adds to Giants’ injury woes. They lost uncapped fast bowler Kashvee Gautam even before the tournament began, while Australia’s Lauren Cheatle had to withdraw after undergoing a medical procedure.

In addition, they have been without their vice-captain Sneh Rana for the last two matches. When asked about Rana’s injury status at the end of Giants’ league game against Royal Challengers Bangalore on Wednesday, captain Beth Mooney said she did not have much of an idea.

Giants, currently at the bottom of the table, had a torrid start to their tournament, losing the first four matches, but they turned a corner in their last game against RCB, picking a win by 19 runs in Delhi. They next play Mumbai Indians on March 9 in Delhi.