New Delhi: India’s Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaign has suffered a significant setback with off-spinner Shreyanka Patil being ruled out of the tournament due to an ankle injury.
The injury occurred during India’s Group A match against the Netherlands when Shreyanka twisted her right ankle while chasing the ball towards mid on on the first delivery of the sixth over. The 24 year old immediately fell to the ground in visible pain and required medical assistance before being stretchered off the field.
Following medical assessment, the tournament’s Event Technical Committee approved uncapped leg-spinner Prema Rawat as her replacement in the Indian squad. The change was officially cleared in accordance with tournament regulations governing player replacements.
Prema earns her opportunity after a series of impressive performances at domestic and developmental levels. The young leg-spinner made a strong impact in recent competitions, including the Women’s Asia Cup Rising Stars tournament, where she claimed eight wickets for India A at an impressive average of 9.62. She has also featured in six Women’s Premier League matches for Royal Challengers Bengaluru across the last two seasons and played an important role in Uttarakhand’s triumph in the domestic senior championship.
The development is particularly unfortunate for Shreyanka, who had only recently returned to international cricket after recovering from a previous injury. She was part of India’s victory over Pakistan earlier in the tournament and delivered an economical spell of 0 for 17 from three overs.
Earlier this year, Shreyanka was also a member of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru squad that lifted the Women’s Premier League title. During her comeback, she had spoken openly about the challenges of dealing with recurring injuries and the mental struggle that accompanied her rehabilitation journey.
Despite losing one of their key spin options, India remain in a strong position in the tournament. The team is unbeaten in Group A after victories over Pakistan and the Netherlands and will look to continue its winning run when it takes on South Africa in Manchester on Sunday.
