Harmanpreet places full confidence in India's T20 World Cup squad

India have announced their squad for the upcoming ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026, with captain Harmanpreet Kaur backing the squad in contention, despite a few tough selection calls.

“I will definitely rate this team as favourites and the team we picked today, they have the calibre to become champions.

"No pressure, no overconfidence. T20 cricket is only about playing good cricket.”

India squad for the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026: Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Bharti Fulmali, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh, Shree Charani, Yastika Bhatia, Nandani Sharma, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh, Kranti Gaud, Shreyanka Patil, Radha Yadav

The tournament is set to get underway on June 12 in England and Wales, where India will look for their maiden ICC trophy in the shortest format, after reigning supreme in last year's 50-over Cricket World Cup.

A key challenge for the selectors has been the absence of Amanjot Kaur, with the all-rounder sidelined for a few months now.

“Amanjot is our key player, she is not available. She is away from cricket for 4-5 months now. It was difficult to find someone like her, but we are trying. She got opportunities.

"We have got Radha back in the side, she is also an all-rounder. It was hard to find Amanjot’s replacement. We are trying to balance the team.”

India have brought back handy spinner Radha Yadav to strengthen the all-round option, after impressing with the India A side in recent months.

The selection meeting also saw Harleen Deol miss out on the T20I squad, with the team opting for a more aggressive middle-order approach through Bharti Fulmali.

“Fulmali is a better option in the middle order. Harleen is there in the scheme of things, she is in the Test team. But for T20Is, Fulmali is a better option.”

Despite a recent series loss in South Africa, the captain remains focused on execution, particularly in key phases of the game.

“I feel that in T20s, powerplay is very important, if you are batting, you have to target runs. If you are bowling, you have to get a couple of wickets in that phase.

"We want to work very hard for the powerplay and also for the middle overs, as that also plays a big role. We have a plan and the learning which we got from South Africa.”

She also emphasized the importance of consistency in selection, backing players like Jemimah Rodrigues to continue delivering.

Despite returning decent numbers in the tour against South Africa, Rodrigues has received backing after being a crucial part in India's maiden Cricket World Cup triumph last year.

“Changing too many things doesn’t suit us. Whenever Jemimah has got the chance, she has proved the decision. With time, she will settle it.”

“Whatever the team needs, I’m ready for that. We are going to try a lot of things in the camp, to see what we will do in the World Cup. I’m always ready to fulfill any spot for the team.”

India will begin their T20 World Cup campaign against Pakistan in Birmingham on June 14.