A formidable leadership unit to exciting youngsters: How India stack up for ICC Women’s T20 World Cup

In a little over 24 hours, the Indian women’s team will take the yard against their arch-rivals to kick-off their latest ICC Women’s T20 World Cup campaign. After a heart-wrenching exit in the last iteration of the tournament from the group stages, Harmanpreet Kaur and company will be desperate to find some serious rhythm going into the biennial extravaganza.

As India gears up for their opening clash against Pakistan, here’s a quick look at how the Women in Blue are stacked for the upcoming cricketing fiesta. With an ODI World Cup secured in 2025, the momentum and the urgency in the side are soaring, and that is exactly what the Indian women will try to build upon.

Strengths:

India has an excellent batting unit featuring the likes of Smriti Mandhana, Richa Ghosh, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur and Yastika Bhatia. Mandhana has been one of the most seasoned campaigners with the bat and her performance in the WPL will definitely be a major harbinger of the storm that she can wreak. In the warm-up game against West Indies, Mandhana scored a well-orchestrated 39 off just 23 balls, setting the platform for India perfectly.

Of course, Richa Ghosh’s power-hitting witnessed England surviving a scare in a closely-contested encounter. That knock from Richa is also a sign of her being in form and a finisher like her can be the X-factor that changes the equation drastically. Apart from Ghosh, India has another solid striker of the ball in Shafali Verma who opens the innings alongside Mandhana. Shafali has already proven herself in the 2025 ICC Women’s World Cup final that she is a player for the big games.

Verma struck an exceptional 29 off just 13 against West Indies in the practice game, ushering in hope of the impact that can come if she gets going. Straddling the high-striking finesse, a well-balanced middle-order remains as one of the key strengths of the Indian cricket team. Powered by the likes of Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues, a tried, tested and proven batting order will always be the main strength of the side coming into this tournament.

Alongside India’s batting strength, Renuka Singh will be the bowling spearhead for the Indian cricket team while Kranti Gaud will be her bowling compatriot with the new ball in her hands. To back up the explosive new ball bowling duo, India might chime in with Arundhati Reddy. However, if there is one department that India will pride themselves on, it will certainly be the spin trio of Shreyanka Patil, Sree Charani and Deepti Sharma.

The two have been in great shape in the WPL and Sree Charani has been quite a game-changer. She was in impressive shape against England in the recently concluded T20Is where she registered a haul of four wickets in the series. India’s most prolific all-rounder in women’s cricket, Deepti continues to be a beckoning force and she will once again be one of India’s X-factors going into the tournament.

Areas that might need focus:

Despite a strong side, India will be coming in with a crop of young players who have been impressive in the shorter format of the game in the bilaterals and the WPL but they are still to be tested in the grandest stage of all. Bharti Fulmali, Nandni Sharma, Kranti Gaud and Shreyanka will be eager to prove themselves, if a chance comes knocking.

This is where Amol Muzumdar and his expertise will be critical for the Indian cricket team. What can be a decisive factor for the Women in Blue will certainly be how they balance youth and experience in a side that will be gunning for their second ICC title on the trot.

Another point that might later come into play and will be purely psychological is the growing pressure of replicating what India did at the 2025 World Cup. A dream that only had fuel being added on, eventually materialised as India lifted their first-ever World Cup.

Now in the wake of such achievement, comes a lot of pressure in recreating the feat, especially with the kind of fandom that prevails in India. That pressure might be fairly unsettling for newcomers even though seasoned campaigners won’t mind that, as it can also act as an added impetus.

X-Factors:

When it comes to players who can completely change the course of the game, Deepti Sharma and Richa Ghosh certainly lead the charts. Richa’s ability to strike the ball relentlessly irrespective of the situation and take additional onus on herself adds to the sheen of the Indian side.

Deepti Sharma who has been one of the most reliable names in the women’s echelons, will once again be a name to watch out for. From being a major support in the lower-middle-order to running away with wickets in the middle-overs, Deepti Sharma can be an unstoppable threat.

With all being said, one might expect Team India to go all in, as the prospect of securing a second consecutive ICC trophy is irresistible. More importantly, with the kind of leadership ushering India into the biennial extravaganza, the prospect of India lifting the prized silverware again might be very pragmatic.

Indian squad for 2026 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup:

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.