Shreyanka Patil ruled out of T20 WC with ankle injury
Shreyanka Patil, the Indian offspinner, has been ruled out of the ongoing 2026 Women's T20 World Cup after sustaining an injury to her ankle during India's second group stage match against Netherlands on Wednesday, at Headingley.
The 23-year-old twisted her ankle in the last over of the Powerplay while attempting to stop the ball and was immediately taken off the field. Prema Rawat, the uncapped 24-year-old legspinner, has been approved as her replacement in the Indian squad for the rest of the tournament.
Rawat has featured in six Women's Premier League matches for Royal Challengers Bengaluru over the last two seasons, picking up three wickets. Rawat, who represents Uttarakhand in the domestic circuit, has also been a part of the India A setup. She has picked up eight wickets in five matches during India's victorious campaign in the Women's Asia Cup Rising Stars tournament. She was also the joint-leading wicket-taker on India A's tour of Australia last year, claiming seven wickets in three T20 matches.
However, Shreyanka's departure still leaves a void. Apart from her electric fielding, Shreyanka was also a standout attacking option with the ball for India against left-handers and in the death.
Indian bowlers vs left-handers in WPL
| Balls | Wickets | Average | Strike Rate | Economy Rate | Dot% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shreyanka Patil | 109 | 11 | 14.09 | 9.9 | 8.53 | 41.2 |
| Deepti Sharma | 136 | 10 | 15.4 | 13.6 | 6.79 | 40.4 |
| Nandni Sharma | 67 | 5 | 20.2 | 13.4 | 9.04 | 29.8 |
| Shree Charani | 64 | 4 | 24 | 16 | 9 | 23.4 |
| Renuka Thakur | 146 | 6 | 31.66 | 24.3 | 7.8 | 46.5 |
| Radha Yadav | 69 | 2 | 41 | 34.5 | 7.13 | 33.3 |
| Kranti Gaud | 43 | 1 | 48 | 43 | 6.69 | 44.1 |
| Arundhati Reddy | 92 | 2 | 52.5 | 46 | 6.84 | 35.8 |
Only four of the bowlers in India's squad have delivered at least 15 overs in the death in WPL. And among them, Shreyanaka and Nandni Sharma's performances stand out.
Indian bowlers in the death in WPL
| Balls | Wickets | Average | Strike Rate | Economy Rate | Dot% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deepti Sharma | 258 | 17 | 26.64 | 15.1 | 10.53 | 26.2 |
| Shreyanka Patil | 147 | 17 | 11.88 | 8.6 | 8.24 | 35.3 |
| Arundhati Reddy | 113 | 3 | 70.66 | 37.6 | 11.25 | 22.1 |
| Nandni Sharma | 90 | 12 | 9.58 | 7.5 | 7.66 | 32.2 |
Shreyanka has missed most of the last two years on the sidelines, struggling with various injuries. It would be interesting to see if India immediately bring in Rawat to the playing XI, or opt for the services of Radha Yadav. Both are good fielders and can offer some batting muscle in the lower middle order. However, the bigger question remains as to whether India's pace attack could also witness some alterations to cover up for the key areas and matchups that Shreyanka was used for to counter oppositions.
India have a couple of days to recuperate before they take on South Africa, arguably the most critical contest of the group, on June 21 at Old Trafford.
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