India announce Women’s T20 World Cup squad: Yastika Bhatia returns, Pratika Rawal misses out

NEW DELHI: India have largely stayed with experience while making a few bold calls in announcing their 15-member squad for the 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup in England, with the return of Yastika Bhatia and the omission of Pratika Rawal emerging as the biggest talking points from Saturday’s selection meeting at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai.

The Harmanpreet Kaur-led side, aiming to win India’s maiden Women’s T20 World Cup title, will head into the tournament beginning June 14 with a squad that balances established stars with emerging talent.

Smriti Mandhana has been named vice-captain, while regular names like Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma and Richa Ghosh retained their places.

Among the notable inclusions are Bharti Fulmali and young pacer Nandini Sharma, both of whom impressed during recent opportunities. Left-arm spinner Shree Charani has also earned a place, underlining India’s focus on spin options for English conditions.

Radha Yadav, whose omission was considered a possibility before the announcement, retained her spot after strong domestic performances and her previous success in England.

The biggest surprise, however, was the exclusion of Pratika Rawal from the T20 World Cup squad despite being among the players tipped to travel to England. She has instead been included in India’s squad for the one-off Test at Lord’s.

Harleen Deol too features only in the Test squad, suggesting selectors are viewing both players as longer-format options for now.

Yastika Bhatia’s return is another significant development after the wicketkeeper-batter recovered from ACL surgery suffered during last year’s ODI World Cup preparatory camp. Her inclusion indicates that the team management is confident about her fitness ahead of the global tournament.

Meanwhile, Kashvee Gautam and Amanjot Kaur were unavailable for selection due to injuries, affecting India’s pace-bowling depth.

The selectors have also named separate squads for the England T20I series and the one-off Test at Lord’s, with the England tour expected to play a major role in India’s World Cup preparations.

India Women’s squad for 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup and T20I series vs England

Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Bharti Fulmali, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wk), Shree Charani, Yastika Bhatia, Nandini Sharma, Renuka Singh Thakur, Arundhati Reddy, Kranti Gaud, Shreyanka Patil, Radha Yadav.