Key Takeaways:

• The BCCI has announced the Indian Women’s squad for the Asian Games. Harmanpreet Kaur to lead the side.

• Smrithi Mandhana is named the vice-captain. Shreyanka Patil is included in the 15-woman squad, and her availability will be subject to fitness.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the women’s cricket squad for the Asian Games to be held later this year in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. The Indian team will go into the tournament as the defending champions.

After failing to make it to the semi-finals of the Women T20 World Cup in England, the BCCI has continued to show faith in the leadership skills of Harmanpreet Kaur and has appointed her as the captain for the Asian Games. Smrithi Mandhana will once again serve as the vice captain.

The 15-member team announced by the BCCI largely features familiar names; the players who were part of the squad in the Women’s T20 World Cup, including Richa Ghosh, Deepti Sharma, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues and fast bowler, Renuka Singh.

All-rounder, Shreyanka Patil has also been named in the squad. However, the young all-rounder's place in the team remains conditional on her clearing the fitness test before the start of the quadrennial event.

India will start the tournament as the defending champions and the reigning gold medallists, having claimed the title on cricket’s return to the Asian Games in 2023 at Hangzhou. The win in 2023 saw Harmanpreet Kaur’s team overcome Bangladesh in the semi-finals before defeating the Sri Lankans in the final.

Confirmed India Women's squad for Asian Games 2026: Full List

• Harmanpreet Kaur (captain)
• Smriti Mandhana (vice-captain)
• Shafali Verma
• Jemimah Rodrigues
• Deepti Sharma
• Richa Ghosh (wicket-keeper)
• Gunalan Kamalini (wicket-keeper)
• Bharti Fulmali
• Sree Charani
• Renuka Thakur
• Kranti Gaud
• Arundhati Reddy
• Shreyanka Patil (subject to fitness)
• Radha Yadav
• Nandni Sharma

What is the format for cricket in the Asian Games 2026?

This year’s Asian Games will be held in Japan, starting from September 19 through October 4. The cricket competition is scheduled between September 17 and September 22 and the format of the games will be T20.

Eight teams that have qualified for the games, including India, Japan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia and China will compete in a straight knockout format. The games will kick off directly from the quarter-final stage rather than the traditional group phase.