Renuka Singh Thakur Profile, Career & Stats

A wily right-arm swing bowler, Renuka Singh Thakur was brought up in Shimla and started her domestic career with the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Academy.

Known for her ability to swing the new ball and trouble batters with her disciplined lines, Renuka has emerged as one of the most promising fast bowlers in Indian women’s cricket. Her performances in domestic cricket earned her a national call-up, and she has since become a key member of India’s pace attack across formats.

Renuka Singh Thakur Early Career

In the 2019-20 Senior Women’s Challenger Trophy, Renuka Singh got the opportunity to represent Himachal Pradesh, where she ended up being the leading wicket-taker. The pacer scalped 23 wickets with an impressive average and caught the attention of the national selectors. In the 2020-21 edition of the same championship, she picked up 9 wickets in 5 matches with a best of 4 for 49.

But Renuka’s journey to the national side did not begin overnight. Long before her T20I debut, she had already been weaving her story in the domestic circuit. Representing Himachal Pradesh, she had proved herself a force to reckon with. 

In the 2019-20 Senior Women’s One Day League, Renuka had claimed the spotlight as the leading wicket-taker, snaring 23 scalps and showing her ability to break partnerships and shift the momentum.

Renuka Singh Thakur International Career

After those heroics in the domestic competitions, Renuka Singh got the maiden call-up to the national side for the multi-format Australia tour in 2021. She was a part of the first T20I, but unfortunately, rain didn’t allow the game to get going.

The Shimla-born cricketer got the opportunity to bowl in the second game, where she bowled her full quota but failed to bag any wickets. However, in the third and last game of the series, she did manage to pick up the crucial wicket of Alyssa Healy.

Stepping onto the grand stage for her Women’s T20I debut against Australia, the right-arm medium-fast bowler introduced herself with promise. Her controlled pace and sharp swing showed early flashes of the talent simmering under the surface. 

In January 2022, she was drafted into the Indian side for the Women’s World Cup in New Zealand. However, before the World Cup, she made her ODI debut against New Zealand in February 2022, receiving her cap from Indian Skipper Mithali Raj.

In February 2022, she earned her maiden Women’s ODI cap against New Zealand, stepping into the 50-over format with the same fire that had fueled her domestic dominance. 

But it was in the glowing spotlight of the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham that Renuka truly exploded onto the world stage. While India returned with a silver medal, Renuka walked away with gold-standard performances. She emerged as the highest wicket-taker of the tournament, claiming 11 wickets in just five matches, a staggering feat in a format often dominated by batters. Swinging the new ball with venom and controlling the death overs with steely nerves, she was India’s strike weapon, clinical, unrelenting, and decisive.

That tournament didn’t just earn her accolades; it announced her as the successor to the pace legacy left behind by Jhulan Goswami. Renuka was no longer a promising bowler from the hills of Himachal Pradesh; she had become the face of India’s fast-bowling future.

Renuka Singh Thakur WPL Career

Earlier in the year, Renuka Singh found herself in the middle of a different kind of buzz, the glittering stage of the inaugural Women’s Premier League (WPL). Picked up by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), she entered the WPL as one of India’s marquee fast bowlers. 

While her debut season yielded just one wicket, it wasn’t numbers alone that defined her impact. Her body language, defiant, focused, and tireless, reflected a bowler sharpening her craft under pressure. In the heat of franchise cricket, she didn’t shy away from the spotlight; she embraced the challenge, readying herself for bigger moments to come.

Riding the momentum from her 2024 ODI heroics, Renuka Thakur entered the 2025 Women’s Premier League (WPL) with fire in her boots and rhythm in her stride. Donning the RCB colours once again, she transformed into a spearhead of their bowling unit. Her returns were telling: 10 wickets across the season, showcasing not just her ability to take early scalps, but also her composure at the death.

After three years with the RCB, Thakur was released and then bought by Gujarat Giants for the 2026 season. She was signed by the franchise for INR 60 lakh at the marquee auction.

(As of July 2026)