Harmanpreet Kaur to lead India in Women's T20 World Cup; Radha Yadav returns to squad; Kashvee Gautam out injured

India's squad for the upcoming Women's T20 World Cup has been revealed. Check out the 15-member team.

Updated on: May 2, 2026, 17:28:43 IST

Written by Vishesh Roy

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India's 15-member squad for the upcoming Women's T20 World Cup was announced on Saturday, with one or two major surprises. Harmanpreet Kaur, who led their maiden World Cup win last year, will once again spearhead the lineup in the marquee tournament, while Smriti Mandhana will serve as her deputy. The T20 World Cup squad was unveiled by Harmanpreet herself, alongside BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia and selection committee chair Amita Sharma.

Harmanpreet Kaur to lead India in the Women's T20 World Cup. (AFP)

Shafali Verma is expected to open the batting alongside Mandhana once the tournament begins. At the same time, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet and Deepti Sharma are set to play crucial roles in the middle order. Radha Yadav, who had a fantastic Women's Premier League (WPL) for the RCB, also returned to the squad despite missing out on the previous series against Australia and South Africa.

Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Thakur, Nandini Sharma and Kranti Gaud are the pace bowling options, while the spin department will be taken care of by Deepti, Sree Charani and Shreyanka Patil. The series against South Africa saw Kashvee Gautam in the squad, but during the team announcement, it was confirmed that she had suffered an injury and was ruled out. Amanjot Kaur was also unavailable for selection due to injury.

“In Kashvee's case, she has a problem with her right knee. It's a serious injury, and the operation has to take place," Amita told reporters. Answering the same question, skipper Harmanpreet Kaur said that the medical team would be better equipped to answer about the severity of her injury.

For the Women's T20 World Cup, India are in Group 1 alongside Australia, Bangladesh, the Netherlands, Pakistan and South Africa. The Harmanpreet-led side will begin their campaign on June 14 against Pakistan, while the marquee contest against Australia will be played on June 28.

Also Read: India Women's T20 World Cup squad announcement LIVE: Check full coverage here

India might have won the 50-over World Cup last year, but the team's performances in the shortest format have led to a lot to be desired. Most recently, the Women in Blue went down against South Africa, losing the five-match series 1-4. In the series against the Proteas, no one apart from Harmanpreet gave confidence, and even Mandhana failed to get going. The vice-captain was then rested from the lineup for the last two T20Is.

“In South Africa, we were unable to take wickets. We have tried to strengthen the bowling department. We have to try and take early wickets, and that's why we have added two bowlers to the squad,” Amita told reporters on Saturday.

India will have another chance of fine-tuning their skills ahead of the Women's World Cup when they take on England in a three-match T20I series from May 28 to June 2. Apart from the World Cup squad, the team for the one-off Test against England, set to be played at Lord's Cricket Ground, was also named.

India’s squad for three T20Is against England and the Women's T20 World Cup: Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Smriti Mandhana (vice-captain), Shafali Verma, Radha Yadav, Jemimah Rodrigues, Shreyanka Patil, Richa Ghosh (wicketkeeper), Yastika Bhatia (wicketkeeper), Arundhati Reddy, Nandini Sharma, Bharti Fulmali, Renuka Thakur, Deepti Sharma, Kranti Gaud and Sree Charani.

India's squad for the one-off Test: Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Pratika Rawal, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh, Sree Charani, Yastika Bhatia, Nandini Sharma, Harleen Deol, Renuka Thakur, Kranti Gaud, Sayali Satghare and Sneh Rana.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Vishesh Roy
Vishesh Roy is a sports journalist with a strong focus on cricket. He began his career at Asian News International (ANI), where he covered a range of high-profile events, including the India Open, Legends Cricket League, the England–India Test series in Ahmedabad in 2021, and the inauguration of the Narendra Modi Stadium. During his tenure at ANI, he also reported extensively on domestic cricket, covering several Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy matches across the country. While cricket remains his primary beat, Vishesh has also reported on tennis, football and WWE. After a stint of over three years at ANI, Vishesh moved to NDTV, where he gained hands-on experience in digital-first journalism, with a particular emphasis on live blogs and real-time news reporting. He joined Hindustan Times in October 2024 and quickly established himself with a series of exclusive interviews and source-driven stories. Ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, Hindustan Times was the first to report that the two-day event would be held in Saudi Arabia. In the early months of his tenure, Vishesh secured interviews with leading cricketers, including Pat Cummins, Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rashid Latif. He has also closely tracked the rise of emerging talents such as Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Priyansh Arya by speaking to their current and childhood coaches. His background in on-field reporting has helped Hindustan Times Digital break exclusive stories on major developments, including Virat Kohli’s return to the Ranji and Vijay Hazare Trophy, IPL scheduling, and the T20 World Cup controversy involving Bangladesh and Pakistan.Read More

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