India to name Women's T20 World Cup squad on Saturday before England tour
India's 15-member squad for the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 will be unveiled at the BCCI's Mumbai headquarters on Saturday, with selection chair Amita Sharma's panel meeting at 5pm IST before a press conference featuring captain Harmanpreet Kaur.
The same meeting will set up India's pre-tournament tour of England, with squads named for three T20Is between May 28 and June 2, a one-off Test starting July 10, and a parallel India A trip of three one-day and three T20 fixtures against England A.
A loaded few weeks before Edgbaston
The World Cup itself begins on June 12 with hosts England facing Sri Lanka under the lights at Edgbaston, and runs through to a Lord's final on July 5. Twelve teams will compete across England and Wales, with Old Trafford, Headingley, the Rose Bowl, The Oval and Bristol's County Ground sharing group-stage duty. New Zealand arrive as defending champions after their 2024 triumph, which means India start the tournament chasing the title rather than holding it.
The six-week window between the squad announcement and the opener leaves Harmanpreet's side a rare luxury of time. The T20I leg in England runs into early June and doubles as a final dress rehearsal in conditions that will closely mirror the World Cup pitches. By the time India open their campaign, the players will already have a feel for the new ball moving in English cloud cover, the slower outfields, and the smaller boundaries at venues like Edgbaston.
Harmanpreet's selection puzzle
The captain comes into Saturday's announcement as the most successful T20I skipper in the women's game and as the leader who guided India to a maiden 50-over World Cup title in 2025, where Harmanpreet's side beat South Africa by 52 runs in the final at the DY Patil Stadium. That trophy gives this generation of players something previous India sides never had: the muscle memory of winning a global tournament.
The puzzle for Sharma's committee is balance. India have an embarrassment of top-order options after a busy domestic and franchise calendar, and the bowling pool has thickened since last year. Picking the wicketkeeping cover, the third spinner and the death-overs medium-pacer will probably be the most-watched calls when the 15 are read out.
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia will be on the panel for the press conference, which usually means a few logistics questions about the schedule and the unusual rhythm of a year that runs the IPL, the Women's Premier League, the England tour and the World Cup almost back to back. India will fly to England knowing they are no longer outsiders. The squad read out on Saturday is the one expected to do something about that.
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