On Friday, June 19, the Indian board confirmed that Shreyanka Patil’s World Cup was over. Scans had shown a ligament injury in her ankle.
She was hurt on June 17 against the Netherlands. Patil had only just started bowling when she chased a ball hit towards mid-on. She tried to stop it, twisted the ankle badly and fell. She could not stand. The team physio ran out, a stretcher followed, and she was taken for scans.
It is more bad luck for a player who has had plenty. A finger injury made her miss the 2024 T20 World Cup, then came shin injuries in both legs, then a wrist problem that kept her out for almost a year. She came back in 2025 and earlier this year was part of Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s successful WPL campaign.
The board’s statement was short. Patil “sustained an ankle injury while fielding during India’s ICC Women’s T20 World Cup match against the Netherlands on June 17, 2026, and has been ruled out of the tournament.” The Women’s Selection Committee named leg spinner Prema Rawat for the remainder of the competition.
Rawat gets the call
Rawat is 24 and has never played for India before. Her WPL form for RCB and her work with India A earned the promotion. She was among the standouts at the Women’s Asia Cup Rising Stars, taking eight wickets as India A won the tournament, and she shared the lead for wickets on India A’s tour of Australia last year with seven in three matches.
She was already in England with India A when the selectors rang. Niki Prasad goes into the India A T20 squad in her place, and Minnu Mani into the one-day squad, for the games against England A.
Smriti Mandhana reached a new Women’s T20 World Cup milestone the same week. India have beaten Pakistan and the Netherlands so far, and they play South Africa in Manchester on Sunday, June 21.
