The Board of Cricket Council of India (BCCI) announced a 15-member T20I squad for the upcoming series against South Africa, and Harmanpreet Kaur remains the captain of the team. The tournament will form a vital head start to the Women's T20 World Cup 2026, which will take place in England in June.

The five-match T20I series against South Africa will start from April 17 and extend till April 27. It will start with the first two matches in Durban on April 17 and 19, and then the following two matches in Johannesburg on April 22 and 25. The last game would be played in Benoni on April 27.

Indian women’s cricket team's packed schedule

The T20I series squad is characterised by a combination of experience and young players, being headed by the captain, Harmanpreet Kaur, and vice captain Smriti Mandhana. There are well-known players like Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Shreyanka Patil and Shree Charani, who will be combined with the veteran Deepti Sharma to create a powerful spin trio, and the pace attack will be mainly composed of Renuka Thakur, Arundhati Reddy and Kranti Gaud.

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Anushka Sharma, who has had a remarkable campaign in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026, got a call-up. She batted as a Gujarat Giant, with 177 runs at a strike rate of 129.20, and this contributed to her team reaching the playoffs. She has been included as an unused batter with Uma Chetry coming in place of G. Kamalini in the squad as a second option wicketkeeper.

In the meantime, Amanjot Kaur has been replaced since the last season with Australia. Kashvee Gautam has been added to enhance the speed attack to an already powerful seam unit that includes Renuka Thakur, Kranti Gaud and Arundhati Reddy.

Vaishnavi Sharma is also lacking opportunities thereafter, following fewer opportunities in the Australia tour. Nevertheless, India is also well endowed in terms of spin department, with Deepti Sharma, Sree Charani and Shreyanka Patil being a good team. Considering the South African circumstances that traditionally prefer speed - a trend that is expected to persist in England throughout the T20 World Cup, the team management has not decided to include another spinner, but rather reinforced the fast-bowling options.

Having a challenging schedule in terms of formats and conditions, the tour is both a challenge and an opportunity. To Indian women, it is not only about end results but also regaining confidence and making a statement in the longest format after years of absence.

India’s squad for five T20Is against South Africa announced:

Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (WK), Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Thakur, Kranti Gaud, Sree Charani, Shreyanka Patil, Kashvee Gautam, Bharti Fulmali, Uma Chetry (WK), Anushka Sharma.