India have suffered a significant setback in their Women’s T20 World Cup campaign after off-spinner Shreyanka Patil was ruled out of the remainder of the tournament with an ankle injury. Uncapped leg-spinner Prema Rawat has been named as her replacement in the squad.
Shreyanka sustained the injury during India’s Group A clash against the Netherlands on Wednesday. The off-spinner twisted her right ankle while chasing a ball on the first delivery of the sixth over of the Dutch innings. She immediately went down in pain, clutching her ankle as teammates rushed to check on her before she was eventually stretchered off the field.
Confirming the development, the ICC said: “The Event Technical Committee of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 has approved Prema Rawat as a replacement for Shreyanka Patil in the India squad. The replacement of a player requires the approval of the Event Technical Committee before the replacement player can be officially added to the squad.”
The 24-year-old Rawat earns her maiden senior India call-up after impressing in domestic cricket and franchise competitions. The leg-spinner featured in six Women’s Premier League matches for Royal Challengers Bengaluru across the last two seasons, claiming three wickets.
Rawat also enjoyed a standout campaign in the Women’s Asia Cup Rising Stars tournament, where she picked up eight wickets at an impressive average of 9.62 for India A. She further enhanced her reputation by playing a key role in Uttarakhand’s triumph in the domestic senior championship.
For Shreyanka, the setback comes shortly after returning from an earlier injury layoff. The off-spinner had only recently made her international comeback and featured in India’s opening World Cup win over Pakistan, returning figures of 0-17 from three overs.
Earlier this year, Shreyanka was part of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru squad that lifted the 2026 Women’s Premier League title. During her comeback, she had spoken candidly about the mental challenges of repeated injuries and revealed she had contemplated quitting the sport before drawing strength from her family and support network.
India remain unbeaten in the tournament after victories over Pakistan and the Netherlands and will next face South Africa in Manchester on Sunday.