Shreyanka Patil Back in India Squad After Ankle Injury Setback
NISSIN, Japan — India all-rounder Shreyanka Patil has recovered from the right ankle injury that interrupted her 2026 international season and is set to return to competitive cricket at the Asian Games in Japan.
Patil was included in India’s original 15-member Asian Games squad in June, but her selection was made conditional on fitness clearance after she suffered the injury during the Women’s T20 World Cup. Her recovery has now cleared the way for her return to the Indian setup.
Patil’s coach, Arjun Dev, confirmed the development to India Today on September 16, saying she was on her way to Japan. The update came after Patil had missed both the remainder of the T20 World Cup and India’s subsequent Asia Cup campaign.
The 24-year-old sustained the injury while fielding against the Netherlands at Headingley, Leeds, on June 17. She was unable to continue and was taken from the field on a stretcher. The International Cricket Council subsequently confirmed that Patil had been ruled out of the remainder of the World Cup, with leg-spinner Prema Rawat approved as her replacement.
Injury forced Patil out of two major tournaments
The ankle problem came at an inconvenient point in Patil’s international career. She had returned to India’s T20I side earlier in 2026 after a lengthy absence and was part of the squad for the T20 World Cup.
Her injury meant she could not take part in the rest of that tournament and also ruled her out of the Women’s Asia Cup. India went on to win the Asia Cup in September, while Patil continued her rehabilitation away from the competition.
When the Board of Control for Cricket in India announced the Asian Games squad on June 30, Patil was the only player whose selection carried an explicit fitness condition. BCCI listed her as part of the squad but marked her availability as subject to fitness clearance.
The latest update from her coach indicates that the fitness concern has been resolved sufficiently for Patil to travel with the Indian team.
India begins Asian Games campaign against Japan
India’s women’s cricket team begins its Asian Games campaign against hosts Japan in the quarter-finals on Friday, September 18, at Kōrogi Sports Park in Nisshin.
The match is scheduled for 2 p.m. local time, or 10:30 a.m. IST. India enters the competition as defending champions after winning the women’s cricket gold medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023.
Patil is part of the Indian squad for the tournament. Current match listings also include her among India’s available players for the Japan quarter-final, although the latest independently verified sources available do not establish that she has been named in the final playing XI.
That distinction is important given the injury-related fitness condition attached to her original selection.
An all-round option for India
Patil gives India an additional off-spin option while also providing depth with the bat. She made her international debut in December 2023 and, before her latest injury interruption, had established herself as part of India’s T20 setup.
According to India Today, she had played three ODIs and 24 T20Is for India, taking 34 wickets by the time of its September 16 report.
Her availability also gives India another option in a tournament where the women’s cricket competition is being played in T20 format.
The Asian Games squad was announced with a largely familiar group around captain Harmanpreet Kaur and vice-captain Smriti Mandhana. The BCCI’s original squad included Patil alongside Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh, Shafali Verma, Radha Yadav, Renuka Thakur and other members of India’s recent white-ball setup.
A return after another injury setback
Patil’s ankle injury was not her first interruption through injury. She had previously spent an extended period away from international cricket before returning in 2026.
The latest setback therefore interrupted what had been a return to the national side. Her recovery now allows her to resume international cricket at a major multi-sport event.
India’s opening match against Japan is the immediate test. The women’s Asian Games cricket competition runs from September 17 to September 22, with the semi-finals scheduled for September 20 and the medal matches for September 22.
For now, the confirmed development is Patil’s return to the Asian Games squad after recovering from the ankle injury. Whether she takes the field against Japan will depend on the final team selection.
