Why did Renuka Singh miss IND-W vs PAK-W game of Women’s T20 World Cup 2026?
Renuka Singh’s absence in IND-W vs PAK-W surprised many.
India have started their campaign in the Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 with their contest against Pakistan, at Edgbaston, Birmingham. The Women in Blue have had triumphs against Pakistan six times out of the eight times they met in a T20 World Cup; and would look to continue the same.
When both the captains walked out at the toss, India‘s, Harmanpreet Kaur won that and chose to bat first. She said that the pitch looks very hard and the ball will come onto the bat very well. India intend to put runs on the board and then defend those. Meanwhile, the Pakistan skipper, Fatima Sana too was looking to bat first.
When talking about team combinations, Kaur said that Bharati Fulmali will be playing the game ahead of Yastika Bhatia. India are going with three spinners and two medium pacers in this contest.
One notable exclusion which caught the eye of many fans and experts was that of Renuka Thakur, India’s one of the most experienced medium pacers. On that note, let us look at why she missed today’s game.
Why is Renuka Singh not playing IND-W vs PAK-W game of Women’s T20 World Cup 2026?
India have gone with Arundhati Reddy and Kranti Gaud as their medium pacers for this match, while Renuka Thakur has missed out.
Kaur mentioned about the pitch being relatively slow, and with spinners coming into play, India have gone with three spin-bowling options. In the pitch report prior to the toss, even the presenters talked about the help offered to the spinners on this pitch.
Moreover, when India played the two warm-up matches ahead of this tournament, Renuka Singh picked just one wicket in two games. She had economy of 11 and 7.5, respectively. This could have added to the reason of her missing out.
India have backed the youngsters Reddy and Gaud. With Reddy being a bowling all-rounder, India are perhaps looking at her providing some batting lower down the order.
Playing XI of IND-W and PAK-W:
India: Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Bharati Fulmali, Richa Ghosh (wk), Deepti Sharma, Arundhati Reddy, Shreyanka Patil, Sree Charani, Kranti Gaud
Pakistan: Muneeba Ali (wk), Gull Feroza, Ayesha Zafar, Aliya Riaz, Natalia Pervaiz, Saira Jabeen, Rameen Shamim, Fatima Sana (C), Nashra Sandhu, Tasmia Rubab, Sadia Iqbal
Who won the toss at IND-W vs PAK-W Women’s T20 World Cup 2026?
India won the toss and chose to bat first.
Who is the captain of Indian women’s T20I team?
Harmanpreet Kaur is the captain of Indian women’s T20I team.
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Cricket runs in the blood of Indians — and that’s something she truly believes in. A law student with a lifelong connection to the game, she has followed cricket passionately since his school days. Like countless young fans, she first experienced the sport on the field before deepening his understanding through constant watching, reading, and conversations around the game. Writing became a natural extension of that passion, bringing a “Pavilion Perspective” to his work — capturing how fans experience matches through their own lens.