The India Women’s Cricket Team, the Women in Blue, arrive at the 2026 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in England as one of the favourites, and they know it. The 2025 ODI World Cup title removed the last question about whether this generation could win when it mattered most. Harmanpreet Kaur‘s side now comes into a group containing Pakistan, South Africa, Bangladesh, the Netherlands, and Australia, opening in mid-June at Edgbaston. The expectations have never been higher for this team, and the squad has never been better equipped to meet them.
India Women
Use the tabs for this team in ICC Women's T20 World Cup.
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History
Indian women’s cricket received Test status in 1976, with the team playing their debut match against the West Indies in Bangalore. Their first World Cup appearance came two years later, in 1978, when India hosted the 50-over event.
For a long stretch of their history, India were a competitive side that could not close out the biggest occasions. The 2020 T20 World Cup final, played before a record crowd at the MCG, was the moment that summed it up: they got there and lost to Australia. The 2025 50-over World Cup ended that story. India won it, and the team that arrives in England for 2026 carries a different kind of belief because of it.
India’s record at Women’s T20 World Cup
| Year | Position | Played | Won | Lost | NR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Semi Finals | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 2010 | Semi Finals | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 2012 | Group Stage | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 2014 | Group Stage | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| 2016 | Group Stage | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 2018 | Semi Finals | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| 2020 | Runners Up | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| 2023 | Semi Finals | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| 2024 | Group Stage | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
India Women’s Key Players
Harmanpreet Kaur
Harmanpreet has led India through the 2020 final, the near-misses in between, and the 2025 title. She bats in the middle order with aggression and bowls off-spin, and she has a well-established pattern of playing her best cricket in the matches that matter most. India have won big tournaments with her at the helm. They have also lost finals with her in the side. The 2026 campaign will tell you which version of that story this squad belongs to.
Smriti Mandhana
Mandhana opens the batting and sets the pace for the innings from ball one. She is technically sound and hits the ball hard, which means bowlers cannot simply defend against her: attack her and she scores boundaries, contain her and she finds the gaps anyway. As vice-captain she carries the captaincy question around her, but at this World Cup her primary job is to bat, and few people in the women’s game do it better.
Deepti Sharma
Deepti is the player coaches describe when they talk about genuine all-round value. Her off-breaks through the middle overs are tight and take wickets, which is the combination every T20 captain wants from a spinner but rarely gets from one player. She bats left-handed lower in the order with real composure. Take her out of this India side and two different departments become harder to fill. That is the practical measure of what she gives the team.
FAQs
Amol Muzumdar, handling both head coach duties and batting mentorship.
Harmanpreet Kaur captains the side, with Smriti Mandhana as vice-captain.
In 1978, at the second edition of the Women’s Cricket World Cup, hosted in India.
Yes. They won the 50-over World Cup in 2025.
Runners-up in 2020, losing the final to Australia at the MCG.
