India opener Pratika Rawal’s wait for a Women’s Premier League contract came to an end after she was signed by UP Warriorz at the WPL 2026 auction in New Delhi on Thursday.

After going unsold initially, Pratika was eventually picked up in the last set of accelerated auction.

Pratika was one of India’s standout performers at the 2025 ODI World Cup, scoring 308 runs to finish fourth on the tournament’s run charts, behind only Laura Wolvaardt, Smriti Mandhana, and Ashleigh Gardner. However, her campaign was cut short by injury. She suffered ankle and knee damage while fielding against Bangladesh in the final league match, forcing her to miss the semifinal and the final that India went on to win.

Pratika first grabbed national attention in 2021 when she struck an unbeaten 161 off 155 balls to propel Delhi into the knockouts of the domestic One-Day competition. Her leadership credentials were on show in 2024 when she captained Delhi on an unbeaten run to the Under-23 T20 Trophy final, finishing as her team’s second-highest run-scorer with 182 runs.

Published on Nov 27, 2025