New Delhi: India have announced their women’s cricket squad for the 2026 Asian Games, with Harmanpreet Kaur retaining the captaincy as the team prepares to defend the gold medal it won at the previous edition of the continental event.
Despite India’s disappointing campaign at the Women’s T20 World Cup earlier this year, the selectors have decided to continue with Harmanpreet at the helm, while Smriti Mandhana has once again been appointed vice captain for the tournament scheduled to be held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, in September.
The squad sees minimal changes from the World Cup side, with wicketkeeper batter Yastika Bhatia being the only omission. Young wicketkeeper G Kamalini has been drafted into the squad as her replacement.
One of the key talking points is the inclusion of all rounder Shreyanka Patil, who suffered an ankle injury during the T20 World Cup and was ruled out midway through the competition. Her participation in the Asian Games, however, remains subject to fitness clearance ahead of the tournament.
India’s batting unit will once again revolve around experienced names such as Harmanpreet, Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues and Richa Ghosh, while the bowling attack will feature Deepti Sharma, Renuka Thakur, Sree Charani, Arundhati Reddy and Nandni Sharma.
Heading into the tournament as defending champions, India will be aiming to continue their dominance in women’s cricket at the Asian Games after securing the gold medal in Hangzhou in 2023.
India squad for Asian Games 2026: Harmanpreet Kaur (Captain), Smriti Mandhana (Vice Captain), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh, G Kamalini, Bharti Fulmali, Sree Charani, Renuka Thakur, Kranti Gaud, Arundhati Reddy, Shreyanka Patil, Radha Yadav and Nandni Sharma.
