India announce Women’s T20 World Cup squad: Yastika Bhatia returns, Pratika Rawal misses out
India announced their squad for the 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup in England, with Yastika Bhatia returning after ACL surgery and Pratika Rawal missing out on the T20 setup despite making the Test squad. Harmanpreet Kaur will lead the side, with Smriti Mandhana as vice-captain. Bharti Fulmali, Nandini Sharma and Shree Charani earned places, while Radha Yadav retained her spot.
Kashvee Gautam and Amanjot Kaur were unavailable due to injuries.
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.