India Women's squad for Asian Games 2026 announced, BCCI continues with Harmanpreet Kaur as captain

The Women's Senior Selection Committee has picked the India Women's squad for the upcoming Asian Games 2026, with Harmanpreet Kaur ready to continue in her role as the leader of the side. Smriti Mandhana, like usual, is the deputy to Harmanpreet and the vice-captain of the side beyond being the frontline batter for the Women in Blue. They won the gold medal in the previous edition of the event.

Speaking of batters, the team also has Jemimah Rodrigues as one of the marquee names in the top order, while batting all-rounder Shafali Verma has also been retained. Beyond them, Bharti Fulmali will be seen playing the role as a finisher in the line-up. Deepti Sharma, the senior all-rounder, has also been trusted for her contributions with ball and bat.

The team does include Shreyanka Patil, but her availability for the tournament is subject to obtainment of fitness clearance from the BCCI's Centre of Excellence, where she has already started her rehabilitation post the horrific T20 World Cup injury. NR Shree Charani, the current No. 1-ranked WT20I bowler, will look to ride on her form in the upcoming tournament. Nandni Sharma is the other spinner available.

Richa Ghosh and Gunalan Kamalini have been designated as the two wicketkeepers in the side, with the former being the primary name to do the glove work. This means that Yastika Bhatia, who was with the side during the recent T20 World Cup campaign, has been sidelined, with Kamalini marking a return after an injury had kept her away.

Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (WK), G. Kamalini (WK), Bharti Fulmali, NR Shree Charani, Renuka Singh Thakur, Kranti Goud, Arundhati Reddy, Shreyanka Patil, Nandni Sharma

The Asian Games 2026 will be played across September, with the Aichi-Nagoya city in Japan being the host to the continental event.