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Yastika, Radha Return; Nandni Gets Debut Call-up for Women's T20 WC

Yastika Bhatia and Radha Yadav have returned to the Indian squad for the 2026 Women's T20 World Cup. Uncapped pacer Nandni Sharma earned a surprise call-up after her WPL hat-trick. The squad was announced at BCCI HQ in Mumbai on Saturday. India will open their campaign against Pakistan on June 14 in Birmingham.

Key Points: India Squad for Women's T20 World Cup 2026 Announced

  • Yastika Bhatia returns after knee surgery recovery
  • Radha Yadav back after strong all-round form
  • Uncapped Nandni Sharma gets surprise call-up after WPL hat-trick
  • India open campaign against Pakistan on June 14 in Birmingham
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Yastika, Radha return, Nandni given call-up as India announce squad for Women's T20 WC

Yastika Bhatia and Radha Yadav return, uncapped pacer Nandni Sharma gets surprise call-up as India announce 15-member squad for 2026 Women's T20 World Cup.

"Radha returns after having a fruitful time in the T20I series win in England last year - BCCI Selection Committee"

Mumbai, May 2

Yastika Bhatia and Radha Yadav have made a return to the Indian team, while uncapped tearaway pacer Nandni Sharma has earned a surprise call‑up as India unveiled their squad for the 2026 Women's T20 World Cup on Saturday.

The squad was named at a press conference at the BCCI HQ in Mumbai on Saturday, with captain Harmanpreet Kaur, chief selector Amita Sharma, and secretary Devajit Saikia addressing the media.

The selection committee met earlier in the day at the board headquarters, with Harmanpreet and head coach Amol Muzumdar present, before finalising the 15‑member squad. The same group will also play three T20Is against England from May 28 to June 2.

Radha returns after having a fruitful time in the T20I series win in England last year, and has had good all-round returns this year. Yastika, meanwhile, is slotted back after recovering from a knee surgery and had missed the 2025 Women's ODI World Cup after suffering the injury during the pre-tournament camp in Visakhapatnam.

Nandni, one of the breakout stars of WPL 2026 and the first Indian bowler to pick up a hat-trick in the competition, is added to boost the bowling line-up, which has an inexperienced look and is weakened by injuries to seam-bowling all-rounders Amanjot Kaur (back) and Kashvee Gautam (right knee requiring operation).

IANS had previously reported that the names of Radha, Yastika, and Nandni were in contention for selection to the T20 World Cup and series against England. India are the first team from Group 1 to announce their squad for the mega event starting on June 12 and ending on July 5.

India are placed in Group 1 of the 2026 ICC Women's T20 World Cup alongside six-time champions Australia, South Africa, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and the Netherlands.

Harmanpreet & Co will open their campaign against Pakistan on June 14 in Birmingham, before taking on the Netherlands (June 17, Leeds), South Africa (June 21, Manchester), Bangladesh (June 25, Manchester), and Australia (June 28, Lord's).

India are yet to clinch a global title in the shortest format, with their best result being runners-up in the 2020 Women's T20 World Cup in Australia. The 2026 edition offers another opportunity for Harmanpreet & Co to break the jinx and add a maiden ICC Women's T20 World Cup Trophy to their cabinet after winning the 2025 Women's ODI World Cup on home soil.

India squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Smriti Mandhana (vice-captain), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Bharti Fulmali, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wk), Sree Charani, Yastika Bhatia (wk), Nandini Sharma, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh Thakur, Kranti Gaud, Shreyanka Patil, and Radha Yadav

- IANS

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Reader Comments

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Priya S
Finally some freshness in the squad! Nandni's raw pace is exactly what we need. But why is Shafali still in the team? Her form has been patchy for months. We need consistent openers if we want to beat Australia. 🤔
R
Rohit P
Radha Yadav's comeback is well-deserved — she bowled brilliantly in England last year. But I'm worried about our middle order. If Harmanpreet or Jemimah fail, we don't have many match-winners after them. Australia's depth is scary, we need everyone to fire together. 🇮🇳🏏
K
Kavya N
So happy for Nandni Sharma! First Indian to take a WPL hat-trick — what a moment! But I hope the selectors are not just picking players based on one good tournament. Domestic performances should matter more. Still, excited for this young pace attack! 💪
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Vikram M
Good squad overall, but I'm a bit skeptical about leaving out a proper batting all-rounder like Amanjot (injured, fair enough) or maybe giving Saika Ishaque a look-in. Spin department looks okay, but against Australia's aggressive batting, we need more variety. Let's see how Nandni handles pressure on the big stage.

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