International career
Renuka Singh Thakur was born on 2 January 1996 in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh. Her rise to international cricket was not overnight—before wearing the India jersey, she had already made waves in the domestic scene with Himachal Pradesh. Her journey with the national team began in 2021, and since then, she has grown into one of India’s most dependable fast bowlers.
2021
- Got her first call-up to the Indian team for the Australia tour.
- Made her T20I debut on 7 October vs Australia at Carrara. Although the first match was washed out, she picked up her first international wicket—Alyssa Healy—in the third game.
2022
- Made her ODI debut on 18 February vs New Zealand at Queenstown, receiving her cap from Mithali Raj.
- Played in the Women’s World Cup in New Zealand.
- Starred in the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham with 11 wickets in 5 matches, becoming the tournament’s highest wicket-taker.
- Earned the ICC Emerging Women’s Cricketer of the Year award.
2023
- Continued to be a key figure in India’s white-ball squad.
- On 14 December, made her Test debut vs England at DY Patil Stadium.
- Adapted well to red-ball cricket.
2024
- After a quiet start in the WPL, returned to form later in the year.
- On 19 December, played a WT20I vs West Indies at DY Patil.
- On 27 December, produced a stunning 5/29 in an ODI vs West Indies at Vadodara—her first five-wicket haul in this format.
2025
- Continued to be India’s strike bowler in limited-overs cricket.
- Performances from late 2024, especially her ODI heroics, kept her name in the headlines.
- Recognized globally as a key pace asset for the Indian team.
Leagues Participation
Renuka Singh Thakur has played in domestic leagues apart from international cricket. The Women’s Premier League (WPL) has been the main franchise event in her career. She joined one of the teams during the first season and has stayed part of it since then.
Women’s Premier League
In 2023, Renuka joined Royal Challengers Bangalore during the first WPL season. She entered the league as one of the main Indian fast bowlers. That season, she took only one wicket. Still, her effort and energy stood out. She kept her focus even when results didn’t go in her favour.
In 2024, she came back stronger. Her ODI games that year showed improvement. In the WPL, she got 10 wickets. She helped her team early in the innings and also in the final overs.
One match against Delhi Capitals got attention. During a key moment, she bowled a wicket-maiden over. The Delhi captain lost her wicket after a wrong shot. Ellyse Perry caught the ball with a full-length dive. That over changed the match and brought her praise.
Reports from 2024 named her one of the strongest bowlers for RCB. Saba Karim said her two quick wickets against Gujarat Giants surprised their team and pushed them into trouble.
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Year
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Team
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Notes
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2023
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Royal Challengers Bangalore
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Took 1 wicket, stayed in the team throughout the season.
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2024
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Royal Challengers Bangalore
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Took 10 wickets, played important role in multiple matches.
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2025
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Royal Challengers Bangalore
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Remained in the squad, bowled in main stages of matches.
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Domestic career
Renuka Singh Thakur comes from Shimla and started training at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Academy. She joined the Himachal Pradesh women’s team and played in state-level matches. Her bowling got better over time, and she started to stand out among other players.
In the 2019–20 Senior Women's Challenger Trophy, she took the most wickets in the tournament. She finished with 23 wickets and impressed the selectors. In the next season (2020–21), she continued to do well with 9 wickets in 5 matches. Her best performance that year was 4 wickets for 49 runs. These results helped her move closer to the national team.
Records and achievements
Renuka Singh Thakur has played in many big matches for India and her domestic team. Her results show progress year by year. Below are some of her key records and awards:
- 2022: Named Emerging Women's Cricketer of the Year by the ICC
- 2022: Took 11 wickets at the Commonwealth Games and helped India win a silver medal
- 2022: Played in the Indian team that won the Women’s Asia Cup (7th title for India)
- 2023: Reached the semi-final of the Women’s T20 World Cup with India
- December 2023: Played her first Test match against England
- October 2024: Selected for the ODI home series against New Zealand
- 2024: Included in India’s T20 World Cup squad
- 2024: Won the Women’s Premier League with Royal Challengers Bangalore
Personal life
Renuka Singh Thakur lives a private life outside cricket. Her story includes strong family support, quiet progress in her career, and growing attention from fans. Below are the main parts of her personal life:
Family
Renuka’s father was Kehar Singh Thakur. He worked in the Department of Irrigation and Public Health in Himachal Pradesh. He passed away in 1999. Her mother, Sunitu Thakur, later took a job in the same department as a Class IV worker. Her brother’s name is Vinod Thakur. Their father named him after cricketer Vinod Kambli. Renuka’s uncle, Bhupinder Singh Thakur, helped her move to Dharamsala and join the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Academy.
Finance
As of May 2025, her estimated wealth is between $1 million and $5 million.
Scandals
There have been no known scandals or controversies around her name.
Fans
In 2022, many cricket fans on Twitter praised her during the opening match of the Commonwealth Games. They liked her accurate bowling and swing. Her Instagram profile reached 400,000 followers by 2024.
