When Renuka Thakur steams in holding a new ball in her palm, rest assured an early wicket is on the cards. Her beautiful swing coupled with tight lines has often flummoxed the batters, who have found her bowling too difficult to handle first up. Born on February 1, 1996, in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, Renuka a naturally fit athlete joined Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association's residential academy for girls in 2009 and honed her skills there. Once she gained control over her bowling and developed pace, she emerged as the leading wicket-taker in the domestic one-day tournament in 2019 with 23 wickets.

She first made her T20I debut in 2021 against Australia in Canberra and it was only a matter of time before she made her ODI debut in February against New Zealand. She has made rapid strides in international cricket and a lot of her success is due to her tremendous discipline and work ethic and her immense self-belief. When India secured a silver medal in the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, Renuka stood out with her performances. She was the highest wicket-taker of the tournament with 11 scalps in five games at an economy of 5.47. She claimed two four-wicket hauls, 4/18 against Australia in the opener and 4/10 against Barbados, and had an average of 9.45. After showcasing her skills in Birmingham and achieving success in 2022, securing the No. 3 position in the ICC T20I bowlers' rankings in November, Renuka Singh clinched the prestigious ICC Emerging Women's Cricketer of the Year award. Soon after, Renuka became the first Indian bowler to take a five-wicket haul in the T20 World Cup when she claimed 5/15 against England at Gqeberha, South Africa