Renegades rocked as reigning player of the tournament ruled out of the WBBL

The WBBL will be without one of its biggest stars after an Indian legend was ruled out for the rest of the tournament.

The Melbourne Renegades men’s team lost their No.1 draft pick to international duties and now the women’s team has lost their own superstar signing.

Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur, the reigning WBBL player of the tournament has withdrawn from the entire competition due to a back issue.

Kaur missed their first two matches of the new season while on international duty but she was expected to arrive in Australia to join the Renegades in the coming days.

Kaur was named player of the tournament in the WBBL last season after she hit a whopping 399 runs at an average of 66.5 in the regular season to help the Renegades finish second, before they were eliminated by Adelaide in the Challenger.

Harmanpreet Kaur was a class above last season. Picture; Paul Kane/Getty Images

The international superstar also took 15 wickets in the competition, with best figures of 3-22.

The Renegades haven’t finalised their roster for the rest of the tournament, but English batter Eve Jones will stay on for a few more matches as an overseas replacement player.

“Harmanpreet was fantastic for us last season and we were looking forward to having her as part of our squad again this year,” Melbourne Renegades general manager James Rosengarten said.

“But unfortunately she has been ruled out through injury.

“Eve will stay on with our squad for at least the next couple of matches as we work through the best strategy for our squad for the remainder of the tournament.”

The Renegades are now on the lookout for an overseas replacement player. Picture; James Elsby/Getty Images

Melbourne’s next game is against the Brisbane Heat on Friday as the look to bounce back from a loss against the same opponent on Tuesday.