It would be blasphemous to say that the Indian team is not in contention for the Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 trophy. But then, unfortunately, that might just be true. The tournament starts in four days from now, and looking at the groups, Harmanpreet Kaur‘s side would have to pip teams like Australia and South Africa, just to get into the semis.
And coming into the tournament, it has been a rocky ride to say the least. First, India lost the T20I series to South Africa 1-4, and more recently to England, 1-2. That just sums up, how badly they are struggling; truth be told, the 50-over World Cup win will have little or no effect, coming into this tournament. There are other teams who are better equipped in every department.
Also, now that we have spoken about India’s likely fate at the event, let us just explore why.
Strengths for Team India
Batting looks sorted: At least on paper, there is nothing wrong with the batting. At the top of the order, there is Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma, and then Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh and Harmanpreet take over. In short, it is a fearsome batting, only if it clicks. Mandhana has played 9, scored 231 at a strike-rate of 130.
Most runs for India in Women’s T20 World Cup
Shafali has scored 260 in 11, at a strike rate of 143. Jemimah has 253 in 11, where the rate has been decent at 138. As for skipper Harmanpreet, she has scored 291 in 10 and showed good form.
PlayerRunsHSAverageStrike-rateHarmanpreet Kaur72610325.03112.21Mithali Raj7265740.0397.31S Mandhana5248721.83114.41J Rodrigues4075923.94111.81Punam Raut3755631.2590.57 Image Credit: SPP Sport Press Photo/Unnati Naidu via AlamyPresence of explosive batters: If needed, there is players like Richa Ghosh and Bharti Fulmali. Not only they have great strike-rates, but can really tonk the ball. They have great ability of hitting massive sixes. Richa’s T20I strike rate is 143, and has hit 43 sixes in 83 matches. From the amount of deliveries she faces, that is a decent number. As for Bharti, she has hit 18 sixes in 18 WPL matches, where the SR is 149.
Spin is good: Another plus point for the team is — the likes of Shree Charani, Deepti Sharma and Shreyanka Patil form a decent spin team. In fact, much of their bowling chances would rely on the three. Deepti has been a bit out of form, picking 9 wickets in 11, at an economy of 9, but still she is the best we have.
Charani has 13 wickets in 10 matches this year. The economy has been only 7.45 only. And Patil could be the trump card for India. She has 29 wickets in 22 matches, economy has been 7.05. She has been among wickets, since her return to international circuit — 11 in 7 matches.
Weaknesses, a bit too much
Pace attack looks… childish: Gone are the days, when the team would rely on a proper speedster like Jhulan Goswami. Renuka Thakur, the spearhead has only 6 wickets in 7 matches this year. Kranti too has similar match to wickets ratio, her economy is worse at 9.08. Nandni Sharma was picked on the back of her 18-wicket stint for the Delhi Capitals Women in the Women’s Premier League 2026, but she has been expensive in T20Is — economy is 9.27.
Most wickets for India in Women’s T20 World Cup
PlayerWicketsAverageEconomyStrike-ratePoonam Yadav2813.825.6014.78Deepti Sharma1926.156.9122.68Radha Yadav1816.776.4215.66Renuka Singh1414.426.1214.14Butter fingers, as always: Let us go back to the Women’s ODI World Cup 2025, that the Indian team won. We ended up dropping 18 catches, where the catching efficiency was only 66%, one of the worst in the tournament. The team is largely the same, and the issues have long persisted. So, don’t expect a miracle, easy catches will be dropped. Whatever extra runs are given in the field; that is extra.
Image Credit: AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena via AlamyAll-rounders: Technically, the team has only one all-rounder and that is Deepti Sharma. That’s that. The problem starts and ends here. In T20s you need players who can do both, bat and bowl. Amanjot Kaur, the star of the Women’s ODI World Cup, is injured, and for some reason, the selection committee did not look for an all-rounder replacement. Kashvee Gautam too was injured before the World Cup.
Opportunities
Prove, team not one race pony: The 50-over World Cup showed the world, that India could win ICC events too. The team was terrific there, and well-balanced as well. Now, the team will have to just play well in their limited capabilities; or make the most of it. It is essentially the same team, the core is the same, but the game is more suited for the longer version. Onus is on them, to prove everyone wrong.
Threats
Poor record in 2026: The team has won only 4 matches this year, and faced losses in 7. Look back at the South Africa and England series, and there is a lot, that is wrong with Harmanpreet’s team. Or maybe, the other teams are better prepared.
The group of death: India is paired against South Africa and Australia. For the record, we have won only 9 T20Is against Australia in 38, against South Africa, it has become more in their favour — but it is still 11-10 for India. So, there is where India will find it tough to succeed. If one was to rate the team in all honesty, it is not more than 6.5/10, at least for now.
India squad for Women’s T20 World Cup 2026Harmanpreet Kaur (c), 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.
India SWOT for Women’s T20 World Cup 2026: Semis looks out of reach for Harmanpreet Kaur’s team Inside Sport India.
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