A new world record has been set in Indian cricket. The light spinner from Uttarakhand, Prema Rawat, achieved a feat by scoring the fastest fifty in women's T20 cricket. She surpassed the record of Pakistani captain Fatima Sana, reaching this milestone in just 14 balls. Previously, Fatima had achieved this feat in 15 balls.
The 24-year-old Prema created this history in the Women's T20 Series match in Pune, at the MCA Cricket Stadium in Gahundge, playing against Hyderabad on Monday. She scored 50 runs without getting out in 14 balls. Her explosive innings included 6 fours and 4 sixes. Her average strike rate was 357.14.
Thanks to Prema's powerful performance, Uttarakhand, batting first, scored 187 runs for 20 overs, losing two batsmen. In response, the Hyderabad team could only manage 98 runs for 20 overs, losing eight players. Thus, Uttarakhand won the match by a margin of 89 runs. For her outstanding performance, Prema was awarded the player of the match award.
Until now, the record for the fastest half-century in women's T20 cricket belonged to Pakistani captain Fatima Sana. In May 2026, she scored a half-century off 15 balls against Zimbabwe in Karachi. Furthermore, in that innings, she broke the previous record in women's T20 international cricket by scoring a half-century off 18 balls. This record was previously shared by Sophie Devine of New Zealand, Phoebe Litchfield of Australia, and Rich Ghosh of India.
Fatima also equaled the records of Mary Kelly and Laura Harris by scoring a half-century in women's T20 cricket in 15 balls. Now, Prema has set this record by scoring a half-century in 14 balls.
Uttarakhand's innings was started by Raghav Bisht and Karina. They together scored 72 runs for the first wicket. Karina got out after scoring 19 runs, while Raghav played a brilliant innings of 72 runs. After this, Raghav and Nilam Bhardwaj added 57 runs for the second wicket. Ultimately, Prema led the team to a large score thanks to her fiery play.
Prema also demonstrated skill with the ball. She took 2 wickets, conceding only 12 runs in 4 overs. She dismissed Gugulotu Kavyaashri and Nalla Kranti Reddy.
Prema Rawat is primarily known as a light spinner. She was given a spot in the Indian squad for the Women's T20 World Cup 2026. She was included in the squad after Shrainka Patil was ruled out due to an ankle injury. Earlier, she showed excellent results for India A in the Rising Stars Tournament at the Women's Asian Cup. During India's winning tournament, she took 8 wickets in 5 matches. In 2025, during the India A tour of Australia, she also took 7 wickets in 3 T20 matches.
Prema debuted for the senior Indian team in 2026. To date, she has taken 7 wickets in 7 international T20 matches. Her best performance is 3 wickets for 9 runs in the Women's Asian Cup against Pakistan. By setting the world record for a half-century in 14 balls, she proved that her talent is not limited only to taking wickets.
