India squad for Women’s T20 World Cup: Harmanpreet Kaur to lead; Nandni Sharma gets maiden call-up

India may have fallen short in the 2024 edition, but Harmanpreet Kaur is leaving little room for doubt about her team’s ambitions ahead of the Women’s T20 World Cup in England, starting June 12.

Fresh from a historic ODI World Cup triumph at home, the India captain Harmanpreet did not hesitate in backing her side as one of the frontrunners.

“Obviously. I’ll definitely rate this team,” she said minutes after the squad announcement on Saturday. “The team that we have finalised today has the calibre to again become champions. No pressure or extra burden or over-confidence since T20 cricket is all about doing well on that particular day.”

At the same time, the captain acknowledged the scars of the previous campaign, where India failed to make the knockouts.

“The last T20 World Cup unfortunately we couldn’t play well as a team. Keeping it in mind, we have been preparing hard since then and we have tasted success in every series except the last one,” said Harmanpreet, who has featured in all nine editions so far.

“Yes, there will be pressure and a bit of desperation but what matters is how we prepare ourselves mentally for the big tournament and how everyone keeps herself in the best possible shape. Whatever has happened is history. Now we just have to do the right things and keep doing it again and again.”

The selection meeting, chaired by Amita Sharma and attended by head coach Amol Muzumdar, reflected a preference for balance. Allrounder Radha Yadav was picked ahead of Sneh Rana, while injuries forced changes to the pace reserves.

Amanjot Kaur’s back injury and Kashvee Gautam’s knee issue meant Nandani Sharma was drafted in as a back-up seamer.

“Amanjot was replaced by Kashvee. She also got injured, so she has been replaced by Nandni. It’s difficult to replace Amanjot because she covered all three departments and has experience. We still have high hopes,” Amita said.

India is grouped with Australia, South Africa, Pakistan, Bangladesh and the Netherlands — a challenging pool that will test its depth and renewed belief.

India T20 World Cup 2026 Squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Bharti Fulmali, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (WK), Sree Charani, Yastika Bhatia (WK), Nandni Sharma, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Thakur, Kranti Gaud, Shreyanka Patil, Radha Yadav

India Test squad against England in July: Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Pratika Rawal, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wk), Sree Charani, Yastika Bhatia (wk), Nandani Sharma Harleen Deol, Renuka Thakur, Kranti Gaud, Sayali Satghare, Sneh Rana.

Published on May 02, 2026