Mumbai: India’s squad for the upcoming 2026 Women’s T20I World Cup was announced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday. The marquee tournament will be played in England, with the Women in Blue kickstarting the campaign on June 14 against Pakistan in Birmingham.
While Harmanpreet Kaur will continue to lead the team, Smriti Mandhana has been retained as vice-captain. The selection committee’s focus was on strengthening the bowling department after the recent 4-1 defeat to South Africa, selector Amita Sharma said in a press conference, as reported by News18.
While Kashvee Gautam, Anushka Sharma, and Uma Chetry were dropped fro
m the team, pacer Nandini Sharma, all-rounder Radha Yadav, and wicketkeeper Yastika Bhatia made it to the final 15.
Kashvee is suffering from a serious knee injury and would need to undergo surgery, Amita said.
This was the maiden call-up for Nandini. Harmanpreet credited her Women’s Premier League performances for it.
Pace all-rounder Amanjot Kaur continued to remain out of contention due to a fitness issue. It was difficult to replace her in the team as even her first-choice substitute, Kashvee, picked up an injury, Harmanpreet said in the press conference.
Harleen Deol was another big name missing, but both the skipper and the selector said Bharti Fulmali deserves the chance because she fits the number six-seven batter role perfectly.
India’s squad for 2026 Women’s T20I World Cup: Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (WK), Yastika Bhatika (WK), Nandini Sharma, Renuka Thakur, Arundhati Reddy, Kranti Gaud, Shree Charani, Bharti Fulmali, Shreyanka Patil, and Radha Yadav.