Team India all-rounder Pooja Vastrakar is currently leading Chambal Ghariyals side in the Madhya Pradesh T20 Premier League 2026.
Published: June 10, 2026, 2:46 PM IST
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Pooja Vastrakar has been on the sidelines since T20 World Cup 2024 with Team India. (Photo: IANS)
ICC Women T20 World Cup 2026: Harmanpreet Kaur’s Team India will begin their campaign in the ICC Women’s T20 Word Cup 2026 with a clash against arch-rivals Pakistan on Sunday. One star cricketer who will be missing the action but will be cheering her side from India will be pace bowler Pooja Vastrakar. The 26-year-old pacer is currently out of the Indian side after first injuring her shoulder and then her hamstring which caused her to miss the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 season earlier this year.
Vastrakar was part of the Indian squad in the T20 World Cup 2023 and 2024 campaign but hasn’t been selected for the 2026 edition. She is currently the captain of the Chambal Ghariyals in the women’s edition of the Madhya Pradesh Premier League 2026 season. The all-rounder smashed a blazing 65 off just 35 balls in Match 6 of the tournament this year.
“For many girls here, this (Madhya Pradesh Premier League) is not only a huge tournament but also a new challenge. We had discussed right from the beginning that there would be many distractions, so we would cut them off and focus only on bat and ball,” Vastrakar told Cricket Country website in an exclusive interview.
“We try not to take the extra pressure that comes with a final. Instead, we see pressure as a privilege and treat every game as an opportunity. Many IPL scouts come to watch these tournaments. A good catch, a big six, or a good spell can attract attention. From here, you can reach the WPL or even become a net bowler. So, many life-changing opportunities begin from tournaments like these,” she added.
Vastrakar has claimed 58 wickets in 72 T20I matches for Team India in her career and also scored 332 runs at a strike-rate of 114.48. She last turned out for India in the T20 World Cup 2024 match against Australia, a couple of years back.
She believes that workload management is essential to avoid multiple injuries that she has suffered over the years.
“I think workload management is extremely important. Earlier, cricket wasn’t played as frequently. International players might have played only a few series a year, and they got plenty of time to recover.
“But if you look at modern cricket over the last five to eight years, the number of matches has increased dramatically—international cricket, IPL, WPL, state leagues, domestic cricket. Players hardly get any free time now. Minor injuries happen to everyone, but even those need recovery time. Today, there’s barely any recovery phase, while the demands of the game keep increasing,” Vastrakar, who has turned out for Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru in WPL, said.
Asked about chances of Harmanpreet Kaur’s Team India in upcoming T20 World Cup 2026, Vastrakar said, “The team is doing well, and I’m very happy about that. I’m confident that just as they performed well in the ODI World Cup, they’ll do well in the T20 World Cup too.”
Finally, on her wish when she makes a comeback into the Indian side, Vastrakar said, “Honestly, my approach has always been to just go with the flow. I never started playing cricket with any particular wish or demand. Cricket was my passion from childhood, and I simply enjoyed it. It has given me everything, so I don’t really ask for anything. I’m very thankful for each and every opportunity.”
