Young Australian fast bowler Milly Illingworth experienced a tough 48 hours, one that brought both joy and a personal setback. The 20-year-old, who earned her maiden Women’s Premier League (WPL) contract
with the Mumbai Indians, woke up on Friday to the news that her apartment had flooded overnight. The unexpected damage now means that much of her auction earnings will go towards repair work at home.
Illingworth was picked up by the two-time WPL champions Mumbai Indians at her base price of INR 10 lakh during the accelerated round of the 2026 auction. While the moment recorded a major milestone in her career, things at her apartment in Australia were hit by severe flooding just hours earlier.
The situation was revealed by Melbourne Renegades skipper Sophie Molineux, who was not playing the match against the Melbourne Stars and was speaking from the sidelines. Molineux shared the news in a light-hearted manner.
"Well, she'll be super excited because she's just been picked up in WPL for (0:03) the Mumbai Indians. That's massive, isn't it? It's so, it's amazing and it's really (0:08) funny. Her apartment flooded last night, so whatever money she's making, that's (0:13) going straight to the, to fix up her apartment. So that's a bit of a running (0:17) joke at the moment. My word, she's absolutely going to be devastated with that," Molineux said.
Looks like Milly Illingworth’s WPL payday with the Mumbai Indians is going straight to her apartment 😅 #WBBL11 pic.twitter.com/ttMjYy5Uvy
— Weber Women's Big Bash League (@WBBL) November 29, 2025
Illingworth registers career best WBBL figures
Despite the tough situation at home, Illingworth had a brilliant outing with the ball while playing for the Melbourne Renegades in the WBBL derby against the Melbourne Stars at Junction Oval. She produced her best-ever figures in the tournament, finishing with 3 for 19 from four overs.
She first removed Rhys McKenna, before returning to dismiss Marizanne Kapp and Danielle Gibson in her second spell. Her efforts helped restrict the Stars to 160 for 5, although the Renegades ultimately suffered a heavy 45-run defeat after being bowled out for 115.
Illingworth has now taken 17 wickets from 33 WBBL matches and will soon join the Mumbai Indians, where she will have the chance to play alongside Nat Sciver-Brunt, Nicola Carey, and Shabnim Ismail.
