From giving up hockey to becoming a crorepati in WPL: RCB’s Prema Rawat ready to showcase her ‘3D’ talent
From giving up hockey to becoming a crorepati in WPL: RCB’s Prema Rawat ready to showcase her ‘3D’ talent
Team C needed five runs from the last three balls to defeat Team A and clinch the Senior Women’s One Day Challenger Trophy. With captain Sneh Rana at the non-striker’s end, Prema Rawat, batting at number 10, was on strike. Facing only her fourth ball, Prema confidently charged down the pitch and lofted the ball over the point fielders for a crucial boundary. On the next delivery, she calmly nudged the ball towards short mid-wicket for a quick single, sealing the victory.
The celebrations were understated — a few jubilant cheers from the dugout — while Prema remained composed. “Having Sneh didi at the other end, with all her experience, made all the difference. If she believes in me, it doesn’t matter if we win or lose. The key is staying calm and believing in yourself,” she told Sportstar shortly after the presentation ceremony at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium.
Just days before the final, Prema had been enjoying the view from her sea-facing hotel room on a rare rest day during the tightly scheduled tournament. It was the day after Team A had beaten Team C in the group stage, powered by Shafali Verma’s blistering 87 off 58 balls.
“I love Chennai’s weather — it’s beautiful, but isi mahine mai (only in this month). I don’t like it during summer,” Prema said, sitting in the hotel garden. Reflecting on the experience of sharing the field with Indian internationals, she added, “There’s no pressure playing alongside them — they treat us with respect, and it’s great to mix with them. But when we play against them, like recently against Shafali Verma, there’s an added edge. You know she’s a great player, so you have to plan carefully when bowling to her.”
Next month, Prema will find herself in a familiar setting, competing both alongside and against India internationals in the 2025 Women’s Premier League. The 23-year-old from Uttarakhand was roped in by Royal Challengers Bengaluru for Rs. 1.2 crore.
However, cricket wasn’t always on her plate.
Hailing from the village of Sumti in the Bageshwar district of Uttarakhand, Prema grew up without any girls to play cricket with.
“Her interest in cricket was always there because, in the mountains, there aren’t many other sports to play. Since the girls didn’t play, she joined the boys. Whenever there was a local tournament, we would take her along, which only deepened her passion for the game,” recalled Hemant, Prema’s younger brother. He added that she initially began her sporting journey with athletics at the school level.
Before turning to cricket, Prema showed remarkable skill in hockey. “Later, we moved to the city where I attended Kendriya Vidyalaya. I played hockey because cricket wasn’t prominent in school. In hockey, I represented SGFI (School Games Federation of India) and even reached the junior India level. But eventually, I left it for cricket,” she said.
In class 12, her father, an army man, had a pivotal conversation with her. “One day, in a serious tone, he asked me, ‘Beta, tumhe kya karna hai?’ (What do you want to do?). He told me to either focus on my studies or commit fully to cricket because balancing both wasn’t working,” she recalled.
Taking his advice to heart, Prema began her dedicated cricket journey, training under a coach at the Bareilly stadium for three to four months before attending district and State trials.
In the past three months, Prema has showcased her talent in the domestic white-ball circuit. The leg-spinner claimed 29 wickets across four competitions, including finishing as the joint-third highest wicket-taker (10) in the One-Day Challenger. With the bat, she made her mark during an unbeaten 47-run knock against Odisha in the Senior Women’s One-Day Trophy. In the field, she was ever-reliable, registering 19 catches along with a handful of run-outs.
After being picked by RCB in the WPL auction, the franchise’s assistant coach, Malolan Rangarajan, labelled her a “3D player.” When asked about this tag, Prema seemed unsure how to respond.
However, when prodded about her strongest skill, she answered without hesitation: “I like fielding. I know the reason I was in the state team for the first year and a half was because of my fielding. Batting and bowling are secondary; fielding alone can win or lose a match.”
During the final against Team A, Prema was stationed at point, where she barely allowed a shot to go through. Describing her approach, she said, “Stay low, watch the ball, and attack it.”
Prema admitted that her turning point came after a nudge from her coach. “When I realised I had potential, Ravi Negi sir told me to get serious. He said, ‘If you want your natural talent to shine, you need to practise regularly.’” A bachelor’s degree holder in mathematics, Prema took his advice to heart.
“She’s incredibly talented and god-gifted but didn’t practise enough,” said Ravi, the coach of Nimbus Cricket Academy and the current head coach of Uttarakhand’s Under-19 girls’ team. Ravi first noticed Prema during a trial in 2021 and later brought her into his academy.
Former India international and current head coach of Uttarakhand’s senior women’s team, Anagha Deshpande, also remembered her early impressions of Prema, a time when she struggled with consistency.
“Over the past three years, most of our conversations have focused on consistency, especially as a leg-spinner,” said Anagha.
Highlighting Prema’s strengths, she added: “I’d say her fielding is god-gifted. She has agility, a natural sense of the ball, and fearlessness. She genuinely enjoys it, which makes it her strongest suit.”
On the 3D player tag, Anagha was in full agreement. “Absolutely, she is a 3D player. The Uttarakhand team has plenty of batters, so she often bats in the lower-middle order. But with the range of shots she has, she can certainly grow into a dependable batter.”
As soon as Prema became a crorepati in the WPL, clips of her bowling crafty leg-breaks and hitting towering sixes began circulating on social media. Among them were highlights from the inaugural Uttarakhand Women’s Premier League, where she played a pivotal role in Mussoorie Thunders’ title triumph.
“In high-pressure situations, when wickets are tumbling or there are too many runs to chase in too few balls, staying calm is the key. That’s what I’ll focus on when I play for RCB,” said Prema, who enjoys catching the latest South Indian films in her downtime.
If asked to choose between 50-over and 20-over cricket, her preference is clear — she thrives in the shorter format. With the WPL set to begin on February 14 and RCB facing Gujarat Giants in the opener, Prema hopes to weave her magic with the ball.
Does the hefty price tag weigh on her? Prema doesn’t think so. She felt no pressure even as a bidding war unfolded between RCB and Delhi Capitals on auction day. For her, the thrill lies in the opportunity to play in the league.
“One thing I like about RCB is the atmosphere. The people there are easygoing and don’t put pressure on you. You can talk freely —it’s very welcoming,” she said.
On the field, Prema’s skill is undeniable, but off it, she remains grounded. Her brother Hemant shared insight into her character: “She’s friendly, hardworking, and humble. There’s no ego about being a cricketer. Money doesn’t matter to her; what she truly values is respect.”
