Prema Rawat got a direct chance to debut in the T20 World Cup. (Photo- GETTY)
Prema Rawat, IND Women vs SA Women: In the Women’s T20 World Cup 2026, Team India played its third match against South Africa. In this match, the Indian team management took a big decision. In this important match being played at the Old Trafford Stadium in Manchester, Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur won the toss and chose to bat first and also announced two major changes in the playing XI. The biggest name among these changes was that of young uncapped leg spinner Prema Rawat, who is making her international debut directly on a big stage like the World Cup. Along with him, Arundhati Reddy also entered the playing XI.
Shreyanka Patil’s injury became an opportunity for Prema
Indian team’s star off-spin all-rounder Shreyanka Patil has been ruled out of the entire ICC T20 World Cup due to a serious ankle ligament injury. Shreyanka’s exit was a big blow for Team India, but the selectors expressed confidence in leg spinner Prema Rawat, who made a splash in domestic cricket and WPL, in her place. Prema was included in the senior Indian team for the first time and she had the honor of wearing the cap for the country in the very first match.
From the stalwart to the debutant! 🌟
Congratulations to Prema Rawat as she receives her T20I debut cap from Harmanpreet Kaur 💙#TeamIndia | #T20WorldCup | #WomenInBlue | #SAvIND | @ImHarmanpreet pic.twitter.com/MnY1uPXXMN
— BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) June 21, 2026
The main reason for Prema Rawat’s inclusion in the senior team is her recent excellent form. She plays for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Women’s Premier League (WPL), where she showed her spinning prowess. Apart from this, her performance while playing for Women’s Asia Cup Rising Stars Tournament and India-A was unmatched. While playing for India-A, she took only 8 wickets at an excellent bowling average of 9.62, due to which she remained in the eyes of the selectors. One good thing for Prema Rawat was that she was already present in England in connection with the India A tour. In such a situation, as soon as the ICC Technical Committee approved Prema’s name as a replacement after Shreyanka Patil’s injury, she immediately joined the senior World Cup team in Manchester without any delay.
Playing 11 of both teams
India women’s team: Smriti Mandhana, Shefali Verma, Yastika Bhatia, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Richa Ghosh (wicketkeeper), Deepti Sharma, Arundhati Reddy, Sri Charani, Nandini Sharma, Prema Rawat.
South Africa Women: Laura Wolvaardt (captain), Tazmin Brits, Annery Derksen, Dane van Niekerk, Marizanne Kapp, Nadine de Klerk, Chloe Tryon (wk), Sinalo Jafta, Shabnam Ismail, Ayabonga Khaka, Nonkululeko Mlaba.
