BCCI Announces India Women’s Asia Cup 2026 Squad; Harmanpreet Kaur Retained As Captain

Harmanpreet Kaur doing press conference with BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia (Source: AFP Photos)In a significant development, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Sunday revealed a 15-member squad for the upcoming Women’s Asia Cup 2026. To shut the critics, Harmanpreet Kaur continued to stay as India women's captain.To work as Harmanpreet’s deputy, Smriti Mandhana, supposed to succeed her in the future, has kept her place as well. Among others, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma and Richa Ghosh have also made the cut.Not Much Changes In India Women's Asia Cup 2026 SquadTo open with Mandhana, BCCI kept Shafali Verma in the Women’s Asia Cup 2026 squad. Moreover, India’s Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 squad, which originally had Shreyanka Patil, has not secured her place as the only change made by the board for the upcoming event.Also Read: Shreyanka Patil's Nasty Injury Puts Women’s T20 World Cup Campaign In JeopardyShreyanka has been ruled out of the Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 after twisting her right ankle during the India vs Netherlands match. She is yet to be fully fit to return to action in full flow.Prema Rawat, who replaced Shreyanka in India’s squad, is there in India’s Women’s Asia Cup 2026 squad.In other notable mentions, Bharti Fulmali, G. Kamilini, Arundhati Reddy, Radha Yadav, Sree Charani, Renuka Thakur, Nandini Sharma and Kranti Gaud have made the cut as well.Among the reserves, the BCCI preferred five players – Pratika Rawal, Uma Chetry, Vaishnavi Sharma, Sayali Satghare and Minnu Mani – as back-ups if required for Women’s Asia Cup 2026.India's Women’s Asia Cup 2026 SquadHarmanpreet Kaur (Captain), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Bharti Fulmali, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (WK), G. Kamilini, Arundhati Reddy, Prema Rawat, Radha Yadav, Sree Charani, Renuka Thakur, Nandini Sharma, Kranti GaudReserve players: Pratika Rawal, Uma Chetry (WK), Vaishnavi Sharma, Sayali Satghare, Minnu ManiWomen’s Asia Cup 2026 DetailsEven though there is no additional information related to Women’s Asia Cup 2026 yet, BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia gave a brief about when it will happen while announcing India’s squad."The Women's Selection Committee has picked India's squad for the ACC Women's Asia Cup 2026. The tournament is scheduled to be held from late August to mid-September, with the detailed fixtures to be announced by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) in due course," Saikia said in a statement.Under Harmanpreet Kaur, India had a miserable T20 World Cup 2026 in England and Wales. They could not even qualify for the semi-finals, with Australia and South Africa advancing to the next stage by finishing above India in the group stage.While India defeated Pakistan, the Netherlands and Bangladesh, they could not live up to their lofty expectations when required, against Australia and South Africa. As a result, they lost their matches on both occasions.Also Read: Exclusive: Why BCB’s Tamim Iqbal Is Visiting India? Reason Revealed