Prema Rawat was already in England with the India A squad when the call came. Shreyanka Patil, the offspinner she now replaces, had been carried off the field at the Women’s T20 World Cup.
Patil hurt her ankle while fielding in India’s Group A match against the Netherlands on Wednesday, June 17. She had bowled one over. The ICC reported that she was stretchered off and will play no further part in the tournament. The Indian board said the same, adding that the Women’s Selection Committee named Rawat for the rest of the World Cup once the ICC’s Event Technical Committee approved the swap.
India beat the Netherlands by 95 runs. Patil’s night ended early all the same, and the injury is the latest in a long line. A broken finger in July 2024 cost her that year’s T20 World Cup. Shin splints in both legs and a stress reaction in her wrist followed. She had only recently returned to international cricket, and she had played in India’s win over Pakistan, finishing with 0 for 17 from three overs.
A first senior call-up
Rawat is a 24-year-old legspinner, uncapped before this. She played six Women’s Premier League matches for Royal Challengers Bengaluru across two seasons, and she has been in the India A set-up. At the Women’s Asia Cup Rising Stars she took eight wickets in five matches as India A won the title. On India A’s tour of Australia last year she shared the lead for wickets, with seven in three T20s.
Her arrival has a knock-on effect. Niki Prasad joins the India A T20 squad for the series against England A, and Minnu Mani is added to the one-day squad.
India’s squad now reads Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Smriti Mandhana (vice-captain), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Bharti Fulmali, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh, Sree Charani, Yastika Bhatia, Nandni Sharma, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Thakur, Kranti Gaud, Radha Yadav and Rawat.
Sources
- Shreyanka Patil ruled out of T20 WC with ankle injury, uncapped Prema Rawat named replacement
- India name replacement as spinner ruled out of T20WC 2026 | ICC Women's T20 World Cup, 2026 | ICC
- Prema Rawat to replace injured Shreyanka Patil at ICC Women's T20 World Cup
