Fourteen balls. That is all Prema Rawat needed on Monday to rewrite a record book. The Uttarakhand all-rounder walked in against Hyderabad in Pune, and before the crowd had properly settled, she had finished the job: an unbeaten 50 off just 14 deliveries, the fastest fifty ever recorded in women’s T20 cricket.
The innings came in the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy Elite match at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Gahunje, Pune, on November 2. Uttarakhand posted 187 for 2 in their 20 overs and went on to win the match by 89 runs. Rawat, fittingly, was at the heart of both halves of that win.
A 14-ball blur in Pune
Rawat’s fifty arrived at a strike rate of 357.14, a number that tells its own story. This was not careful accumulation or a late flourish after a long stay at the crease. It was a short, sharp assault, the kind where every ball seems to disappear to the boundary and the fielding side runs out of answers before it has time to change its plan.
A fifty in 14 balls leaves no room for a quiet over, no room for a dot-ball breather. The batter has to be attacking from the first ball she faces, and keep finding the gap, or clearing it, ball after ball. Rawat did exactly that, and she finished unbeaten, which means Hyderabad never even got the small consolation of her wicket.
The previous best in women’s T20 cricket was 15 balls. Rawat has now moved the mark to 14, and in doing so she has put her name at the top of a list that every young batter in the domestic game will now be chasing.
Not just the bat: two wickets for 12
What often gets lost in a record-breaking innings is the rest of the match, and here the rest of the match only strengthens Rawat’s case. After her batting blitz helped Uttarakhand to 187 for 2, she took the ball and bowled four overs for just 12 runs, picking up two wickets.
That all-round contribution matters because it is who Rawat is as a cricketer. She is known first as a bowler, a leg-spinner who has built her reputation by taking wickets and keeping things tight. Monday in Pune was a reminder that she can change a game with the bat too, and in the most dramatic way possible.
What the record does and does not mean
It is worth being precise about what Rawat has broken, because women’s T20 cricket has two related but separate record lists. Her 14-ball fifty is the fastest in women’s T20 cricket as a whole, covering domestic and international matches together.
The fastest fifty in women’s T20 internationals, the T20I list, still belongs to Pakistan captain Fatima Sana, who reached fifty in 15 balls against Zimbabwe in Karachi on May 15, 2026. Rawat’s innings came in domestic cricket, in the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy, so it does not replace Sana’s T20I record. It does, however, go one ball quicker than the previous overall best of 15, which is why it is being described as a world record for the format.
Who is Prema Rawat?
Rawat, 24, is a bowling all-rounder from Uttarakhand who has already played seven T20 internationals for India. She was part of the Indian team that won the Women’s Asia Cup title in September, and she plays for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Women’s Premier League, where she was bought for Rs 1.2 crore ahead of the 2025 season.
Her journey has not been a smooth, straight climb, and much of the attention around her so far has focused on her leg-spin. An innings like Monday’s changes the conversation, giving selectors a fresh reason to think of her as a genuine all-rounder.
Why this innings will be talked about
- Speed: 50 runs in 14 balls, at a strike rate of 357.14, is the fastest fifty in women’s T20 cricket history.
- Completeness: Rawat followed it with 2 wickets for 12 runs in four overs, a full all-round performance.
- Context: The innings powered Uttarakhand to 187 for 2 and an 89-run win over Hyderabad in Pune.
- Timing: It came in the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy, India’s premier domestic women’s T20 competition, where performances are watched closely.
Frequently Asked Questions
How fast was Prema Rawat’s fifty?
Rawat scored an unbeaten 50 off just 14 balls for Uttarakhand against Hyderabad in Pune on November 2, 2026, at a strike rate of 357.14.
Is it the fastest fifty in women’s T20 cricket?
Yes, it is the fastest fifty recorded in women’s T20 cricket overall, beating the previous best of 15 balls.
Does it break the T20I record?
No. The fastest fifty in women’s T20 internationals still belongs to Pakistan captain Fatima Sana, who scored a 15-ball fifty against Zimbabwe in Karachi on May 15, 2026. Rawat’s record came in domestic T20 cricket.
What else did Rawat do in the match?
After her batting blitz, she bowled four overs and took 2 wickets for just 12 runs as Uttarakhand beat Hyderabad by 89 runs.
Which team does Prema Rawat play for?
She represents Uttarakhand in domestic cricket, plays for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Women’s Premier League, and has played seven T20 internationals for India.
One innings, fourteen balls, and a place in the record books. Prema Rawat will not forget Pune in a hurry, and neither will anyone who watched the scoreboard tick over that quickly.
