There's a particular kind of cricketer who doesn't announce herself with fireworks. She just keeps scoring, keeps standing behind the stumps, and one day you look up and realize she's been in the India dressing room for years. Yastika Bhatia is exactly that kind of player. She came up through the gullies and academies of Baroda, learned karate before she learned to sweep a spinner, and somehow turned all of that discipline into a left-handed batting technique good enough to end Australia's 26-match winning streak. This is her story, told the way it actually happened — not the highlight reel version, but the whole arc.
Yastika Bhatia Biography
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Yastika Bhatia |
| Date of Birth | November 1, 2000 |
| Age (as of 2026) | 25 years |
| Birthplace | Vadodara (Baroda), Gujarat, India |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Height | Not publicly known |
| Weight | Not publicly known |
| Batting Style | Left-handed batter |
| Role | Wicketkeeper-batter |
| Domestic Team | Baroda |
| Zone | West Zone |
| WPL Team | Mumbai Indians |
| Other Franchise | Melbourne Stars (WBBL) |
| Coach | Santosh Chaugule |
| Marital Status | Unmarried |
| Family | Not publicly known in detail |
| Net Worth | Estimated, not officially confirmed (see Net Worth section) |
Early Life And Background
Baroda isn't just any city when it comes to Indian cricket — the place has produced names that echo through the game's history. Yastika Bhatia was born there on November 1, 2000, and grew up soaking in that same cricketing air. She wasn't handed a bat by some famous cricketing family; instead, she found her way to the Youth Service Centre in Baroda at the age of eight, a regular kid stepping into a program that would end up shaping her whole life.
Her coach, Santosh Chaugule, spotted something in her early on. She had the build and instinct of a natural athlete, and initially she even bowled a bit of medium pace. But it was the selectors who nudged her toward the gloves, and once she took up wicketkeeping, she never looked back. By the time she was eleven, she'd already earned a spot in the Baroda Under-19 side — an age when most kids are still figuring out which sport they even like.
What followed was a slow, steady climb rather than an overnight sensation story. At seventeen, during the 2017-18 Senior Women's One Day Trophy, she smashed 131 off 156 balls for Baroda Under-19 against Maharashtra Under-19 in Aurangabad. That knock got people talking. She kept adding to her reputation in the Under-23 circuit too, with a fierce 145 against Haryana and an even more explosive 125 not out off just 63 balls against Manipur. Selectors don't ignore numbers like that for long.
By December 2019, she was on a plane to Australia as part of the India A squad — her first real taste of cricket outside domestic borders. Two years later, in 2021, everything accelerated. India picked her for the senior team's white-ball series against South Africa, and she later described the moment as surreal, crediting her coach and her club for getting her there. Then came the 2021 tour of Australia, where she achieved something only a handful of Indian women cricketers ever have: she debuted in all three formats — Test, ODI, and T20I — within a span of just seventeen days.
Her third ODI on that tour turned into a defining innings. She scored 64 runs against Australia and played a direct role in ending the hosts' record-breaking 26-match ODI winning streak. That's not a small thing to be part of as a debutant.
The 2022 ICC Women's Cricket World Cup gave her a bigger stage, and she delivered twice — a fifty against Australia and another against Bangladesh. That same year, she was named among the nominees for the ICC Women's Emerging Cricketer of the Year. A few months later, at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, she came on as a concussion substitute for Taniya Bhatia in the final and walked away with a silver medal.
When the Women's Premier League launched, Mumbai Indians went after her hard, eventually securing her for INR 1.5 crore after fending off competition from Gujarat Giants and UP Warriorz. She slotted in at the top of the order alongside Hayley Matthews, and that opening pair became one of the more dependable starts in the tournament.
December 2023 brought two more milestones packed close together. She scored her first Test half-century — 66 off 88 — against England, helping India to a 347-run win, the largest margin of victory in the history of Indian women's Test cricket. In the same series window, she was part of the squad that beat Australia in a Test match for the first time ever, a genuine landmark for the team.
Not every year has gone entirely to plan. Ahead of the 2025 Women's Cricket World Cup, she picked up a left knee injury during India's preparatory camp in Visakhapatnam and had to be replaced in the squad by Uma Chetry — a tough blow after everything she'd built toward. Cricket careers rarely move in a straight line, and hers is no exception.
Career
Yastika Bhatia's cricketing journey runs across four broad tiers: domestic Baroda cricket, India A and zonal cricket, the senior Indian national team, and T20 franchise leagues.
Domestic Cricket: She represented Baroda from her junior years onward, playing List-A and T20 cricket for the state and captaining the West Zone Under-19 side in inter-zonal competitions. Her breakout domestic season came in 2017-18, and she followed it with a strong run in Under-23 cricket that pushed her firmly onto the selectors' radar.
India A and Zonal Cricket: Her performances for India A, including the 2019 tour of Australia and a standout run in the Senior Women's One-Day Challenger Trophy of 2021-22 — where she finished as the top run-scorer with 199 runs — built the case for a full India call-up.
International Career: She made her senior India debut in 2021 and became one of the few Indian women cricketers to debut across all three formats within seventeen days. She's since featured in ODI and Test cricket for India, along with multiple T20 World Cup squads, including the 2024 edition.
Franchise Cricket: In the Women's Premier League, she plays for Mumbai Indians, having joined in the league's very first auction. She has also turned out for Melbourne Stars in Australia's Women's Big Bash League, giving her exposure to a wider mix of conditions and opponents.
Career Statistics (as of 2026)
| Format | Matches | Runs | Average | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test | 3 | 98 | 20.00 | 14 | 1 |
| ODI | 28 | 666 | 25.00 | 78 | 2 |
| T20I | 23 | 336 | 20.00 | 45 | 3 |
Personal Life
Yastika Bhatia keeps a fairly private life away from the cricket field, and there isn't much reliable information about her family circumstances in the public domain. What is known is that she isn't from a background of professional cricketers — she built her career through the Baroda cricketing system rather than family legacy. Reports suggest she's a black belt in karate, competed as a swimmer, and played badminton at the district level before cricket took over as her main focus.
She's currently unmarried, and there's no verified public information about her being in a relationship. She has generally avoided media speculation on this front and keeps that part of her life away from public view. Beyond cricket, she is said to enjoy reading and music, though detailed lifestyle information beyond what she shares in occasional interviews remains limited.
Net Worth
Estimates of Yastika Bhatia's net worth vary quite a bit depending on the source, and no official figure has ever been confirmed by her or her management. Some reports place her total net worth at around INR 1 crore, while others estimate it closer to INR 3-5 crore. Her biggest and most verifiable source of income is her WPL contract with Mumbai Indians, reported to be around INR 1.5 crore for the 2025 season after her retention. Additional income likely comes from her BCCI central or match contracts, franchise cricket abroad, and a handful of brand associations, though the specific terms of those partnerships aren't publicly disclosed. Given the range in public estimates, it's fair to treat any specific net worth figure as an approximation rather than a confirmed fact.
Awards And Recognition
- Nominee, ICC Women's Emerging Cricketer of the Year (2022)
- Silver Medalist, Commonwealth Games 2022 (Birmingham), as part of the Indian women's cricket team
- Part of the India squad that recorded a 347-run Test win over England (December 2023) — the largest margin in Indian women's Test history
- Part of the India squad that won its first-ever Test match against Australia (Mumbai, December 2023)
Timeline
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 2000 | Born on November 1 in Vadodara, Gujarat |
| ~2008 | Enrolled at the Youth Service Centre, Baroda, at age eight |
| ~2011 | Selected for Baroda Under-19 team |
| 2017-18 | Scores 131 off 156 balls for Baroda U-19 vs Maharashtra U-19 |
| 2019 | Tours Australia with India A |
| February 2021 | Earns maiden call-up to the senior India women's team |
| 2021 | Debuts in all three formats (Test, ODI, T20I) during India's Australia tour, within 17 days |
| September 2021 | Scores 64 in the 3rd ODI vs Australia, helping end their 26-match winning streak |
| 2022 | Scores two half-centuries at the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup |
| 2022 | Wins silver at the Commonwealth Games, Birmingham |
| 2023 | Joins Mumbai Indians in the inaugural WPL auction for INR 1.5 crore |
| December 2023 | First Test fifty (66 off 88) vs England; part of India's first-ever Test win over Australia |
| 2024 | Selected for the ICC Women's T20 World Cup squad |
| 2025 | Ruled out of the Women's Cricket World Cup after a knee injury in Visakhapatnam; replaced by Uma Chetry |
Interesting Facts
- She's a black belt in karate — a sport she picked up before cricket became her main focus.
- She was originally a medium-pace bowler before switching to wicketkeeping on the advice of selectors.
- She was picked for Baroda's Under-19 team at just eleven years old.
- She debuted for India in all three international formats within a span of seventeen days.
- Her ODI innings of 64 against Australia in 2021 helped stop the hosts' historic 26-match winning streak.
- She was part of India's first-ever Test win over Australia, in December 2023.
Lesser-Known Facts
- Before focusing entirely on cricket, she was also a competitive swimmer and played badminton at the district level.
- Mumbai Indians had to win a bidding war against Gujarat Giants and UP Warriorz to sign her for the first WPL season.
- She played as a concussion substitute for Taniya Bhatia in the final of the 2022 Commonwealth Games and still walked away with a silver medal.
- She has also represented Melbourne Stars in the Women's Big Bash League, extending her franchise experience beyond India.
- She finished as the top run-scorer in the Senior Women's One-Day Challenger Trophy 2021-22, with 199 runs for India A.
FAQs
1. Who is Yastika Bhatia? She is an Indian international cricketer, a left-handed batter and wicketkeeper who represents India, Baroda, and Mumbai Indians in the WPL.
2. When was Yastika Bhatia born? She was born on November 1, 2000.
3. Where is Yastika Bhatia from? She was born and raised in Vadodara (formerly Baroda), Gujarat, India.
4. How old is Yastika Bhatia? As of 2026, she is 25 years old.
5. What is Yastika Bhatia's batting style? She bats left-handed and also keeps wicket for her teams.
6. Which domestic team does Yastika Bhatia play for? She represents Baroda in domestic cricket.
7. When did Yastika Bhatia make her international debut? She debuted for India during the 2021 tour of Australia, playing all three formats within seventeen days.
8. Which IPL/WPL team does Yastika Bhatia play for? She plays for Mumbai Indians in the Women's Premier League.
9. How much did Mumbai Indians pay for Yastika Bhatia? She was signed for INR 1.5 crore in the inaugural WPL auction.
10. Has Yastika Bhatia played Test cricket? Yes, she has played Test cricket for India, including a Test fifty against England in December 2023.
11. What is Yastika Bhatia's highest Test score? Her best-known Test knock is 66, scored against England in December 2023.
12. Did Yastika Bhatia play in a World Cup? Yes, she featured in the 2022 ICC Women's Cricket World Cup, scoring two half-centuries.
13. Why did Yastika Bhatia miss the 2025 World Cup? She suffered a left knee injury during India's preparatory camp in Visakhapatnam and was replaced by Uma Chetry.
14. Did Yastika Bhatia win any medals? Yes, she won a silver medal with the Indian team at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
15. Is Yastika Bhatia married? No, she is currently unmarried, and there's no verified public information about a relationship.
16. What sports did Yastika Bhatia play before cricket? She practiced karate, earning a black belt, and was also a swimmer and a district-level badminton player.
17. Who is Yastika Bhatia's coach? Her coach is Santosh Chaugule, who trained her from her early days at the Youth Service Centre in Baroda.
18. What is Yastika Bhatia's net worth? Estimates vary between roughly INR 1 crore and INR 3-5 crore, though no official figure has been confirmed.
19. Has Yastika Bhatia played franchise cricket outside India? Yes, she has played for Melbourne Stars in Australia's Women's Big Bash League.
20. What is Yastika Bhatia known for on the field? She's known for her calm temperament, solid top-order batting, and sharp wicketkeeping skills.
Yastika Bhatia's story is really a lesson in patience. She didn't burst onto the scene as a teenage prodigy who took the cricket world by storm overnight — she built herself up step by step, from an eight-year-old at a local training centre to a batter capable of ending a 26-match Australian winning streak and standing in a Test XI that beat Australia for the first time in India's history. Injuries and setbacks have tested her, as they test everyone in professional sport, but her track record suggests she's not done adding to her story yet. For a player still working her way toward the peak of her career, the numbers so far only tell part of it.