The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the India women’s national cricket team squad for the upcoming South Africa T20 series. Experienced batsman Harmanpreet Kaur will lead the 15-member squad in the five-match bilateral series in South Africa from April 17 to April 27.
The South Africa tour will serve as important preparation for the women ahead of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 in England. Notably, the India women’s national cricket team will be using these challenging overseas conditions to finalize their squad ahead of the prestigious global tournament later this year.
BCCI announces Indian women’s squad for South Africa T20 series; Harmanpreet Kaur will lead
On 24 March, the women’s selection committee announced India’s squad for the upcoming five-match T20 series against South Africa. India will begin preparations for the World Cup and the team will be led by Harmanpreet Kaur.
Vice-captain Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma will open the batting for the India women’s national cricket team. His aggressive attitude on the bouncy pitches of South Africa will be important for the team. Meanwhile, Jemimah Rodrigues and wicketkeeper-batsman Richa Ghosh will stabilize the middle order.
Promising domestic players like Bharti Phulmali and Anushka Sharma have also been included in the team. The upcoming matches against the South Africa women’s national cricket team will provide these players with the final opportunity to secure a place in the T20 World Cup squad.
Pace-spin combination for Indian women in South Africa
Arundhati Reddy won the ICC Women’s Player of the Month award for February 2026. She provides flexibility to the India women’s national cricket team, making consistent early breakthroughs with the ball while contributing to rapid run scoring in the lower order.
The India women’s national cricket team has a strong balance in its bowling attack. All-rounder Deepti Sharma and spinner Shreyanka Patil will control the middle overs.
Renuka Singh Thakur will lead the pace attack along with Kashvi Gautam, aiming to swing the new ball effectively in the pace-friendly South African conditions.
Indian women’s team for South Africa tour:
| player | Role |
| Harmanpreet Kaur | captain |
| Smriti Mandhana | vice captain |
| Shafali Verma | player |
| jemima rodrigues | player |
| Deepti Sharma | player |
| Richa Ghosh | wicket keeper |
| Arundhati Reddy | player |
| Renuka Thakur | player |
| Kranti Gaur | player |
| Sricharani | player |
| Shreyanka Patil | player |
| Kashvi Gautam | player |
| Bharti Fulmali | player |
| Uma Chhetri | wicket keeper |
| Anushka Sharma | player |
India women’s national cricket team needs to improve its consistency against South Africa women’s national cricket team. The team needs to solve the scoring problems in the middle overs and perform better in the death overs.
The India women’s national cricket team will begin their campaign with consecutive matches on April 17 and April 19 at the Kingsmead Cricket Stadium in Durban. Johannesburg will host the next two matches on April 22 and April 25 before the final match in Benoni on April 27.
If the Blue Women continue to dominate this tough five-match tour, Harmanpreet Kaur and her team will enter the 2026 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup as strong tournament favourites.
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