New Delhi, September 9, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Top-order batter Pratika Rawal has been named as the replacement for injured Jemimah Rodrigues in India’s 15-member women’s cricket squad for the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
Rodrigues, a key member of India’s middle order, is still recovering from a hamstring injury sustained while playing for Southern Brave in The Hundred early last month. The injury had already ruled her out of the ongoing Women’s Asia Cup in Dubai.
Rawal was previously drafted into India’s Asia Cup squad as Rodrigues’ replacement, but her status for the Asian Games had not been officially clarified at the time. A BCCI source confirmed on Wednesday that Rawal is part of the squad submitted for the continental multi-sport event.
“Pratika will be travelling to Japan for the Asian Games as Jemimah’s replacement. Her name is there in the 15-member squad submitted for the Asian Games,” the source told IANS.
Rawal made her T20I debut during the ongoing Asia Cup and has been assigned the crucial No. 3 position by the team management. She has scored 22, 10 and 4 in India’s three league-stage matches so far.
Her return to the T20I setup came unexpectedly while she was preparing to join Warwickshire for the One Day Cup in England. Before the Asia Cup, Rawal had not played competitive T20 cricket since November 2024.
A lengthy ankle injury sustained during India’s match against Bangladesh at the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup had kept Rawal sidelined for an extended period. The injury also prevented her from featuring for UP Warriorz in the 2026 Women’s Premier League after the franchise bought her for Rs 50 lakh at last year’s auction in New Delhi.
India will hope Rawal settles quickly into her new role as the team faces Bangladesh in the Asia Cup semi-final at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Thursday.
The women’s cricket competition at the 2026 Asian Games is scheduled from September 17 to 22. Defending champions India won gold at the previous edition after defeating Sri Lanka by 19 runs in the final.
Eight teams—India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia and China—will compete in the event.
India’s Asian Games Squad
Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Smriti Mandhana (vice-captain), Shafali Verma, Pratika Rawal, Bharti Fulmali, Richa Ghosh (wicketkeeper), G Kamalini (wicketkeeper), Deepti Sharma, Radha Yadav, Prema Rawat, Arundhati Reddy, Kranti Gaud, Renuka Singh, N Sree Charani and Nandni Sharma.
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