India picked 24-year-old uncapped leg-spinner Prema Rawat over Radha Yadav for their crucial Women’s T20 World Cup game against South Africa.
Prema Rawat makes her India debut in Women's T20 World Cup match against South Africa
Rawat, who was with the India A squad in England for a six-match white-ball series, was called in as Shreyanka Patil’s replacement at the T20 World Cup, after the off-spinning all-rounder suffered an ankle injury against the Netherlands. Few expected her to be drafted into the XI straightaway, with all-rounder Radha Yadav believed to be the obvious pick to take Patil’s spot.
However, captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who became the first cricketer across genders to make 200 T20I appearances, announced at the toss that Rawat would be making her India debut in the crucial encounter against South Africa. Her message to Rawat was “just to enjoy” before adding that she was “more nervous playing 200th game” while the debutant was “someone who looks very calm”.
Rawat was part of the India A squad that won the Rising Stars Asia Cup in February this year. She took eight wickets in the tournament at 9.62 each, and with an economy of 4.27, including a best of 3-12 against Bangladesh A in the final. She was also the joint-top wicket-taker in the WT20 series on India A’s tour of Australia in 2025, taking seven wickets in three matches.
The leg-spinner has been part of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru squad in the WPL over the last two seasons. She was signed for INR 1.2 crore in the 2025 auction before RCB exercised their RTM card to retain her ahead of the 2026 edition for a reduced price. In all, she’s played six matches across the two seasons, taking three wickets with a best of 2-16 against the Delhi Capitals.
RCB head coach Malolan Rangarajan had heaped praise on Rawat after the 2026 WPL auction, terming her the “Indian version of Georgia Wareham, minus the batting” and “among the best fielders in the country”.
Since making her T20 debut for Uttarakhand in 2022, Rawat has made 50 appearances in the format, taking 57 wickets at 14.64 each, and an economy of 5.35.
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