India have suffered a major setback in the ongoing ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, with off-spin allrounder Shreyanka Patil ruled out of the tournament after sustaining an ankle ligament injury.
Patil was injured during India’s match against the Netherlands on Wednesday in Leeds. Just one ball into her spell, she twisted her ankle while chasing a delivery towards mid-on. The pain was immediate, and she was seen holding her right leg as the team physio rushed onto the field. Unable to put weight on it, Patil had to be stretchered off, and subsequent scans confirmed ligament damage.
In Patil’s absence, the selectors have called up leg-spinner Prema Rawat as her replacement. The 24-year-old receives her first call-up to the senior India side after previously featuring in the Women’s Premier League for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, led by Smriti Mandhana.
Rawat was also part of the India A squad that toured England for a six-match white-ball series beginning June 20 in Northampton. She earned attention during the Rising Stars Women’s Asia Cup, where she took eight wickets at an economy rate of 4.27 and played an important role in India A’s title-winning campaign.
The injury adds to a difficult run for Patil, who has battled several fitness issues in recent times. A broken finger kept her out of the 2024 T20 World Cup, before shin splints in both legs and a wrist stress reaction sidelined her for almost a year. She returned to competitive action recently, featuring in the Women’s CPL 2025 and contributing to Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s WPL 2026 title triumph.
Despite the loss of Patil, India have begun their World Cup campaign strongly, recording wins against Pakistan and the Netherlands. They will next take on South Africa in Manchester on Sunday as they aim to extend their unbeaten run.
