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Written by Akash Saha | Edited and fact-checked by Amit Saha | Editorial policy
Updated: October 18, 2026 | Written by Akash Saha | Edited and fact-checked by Amit Saha | Editorial policy
Quick answer: The captain of the Indian women’s cricket team is Smriti Mandhana, appointed in October 2026 after Harmanpreet Kaur stepped down. The head coach is Amol Muzumdar. Known as the Women in Blue, India are the reigning ODI world champions after winning the 2025 Women’s Cricket World Cup, and they won a second straight Asian Games gold in 2026.
| Captain | Smriti Mandhana (all formats, from October 2026) |
|---|---|
| Vice-captain | Shafali Verma (T20I), Deepti Sharma (ODI) |
| Head coach | Amol Muzumdar |
| Nickname | Women in Blue |
| Biggest titles | ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025; Asian Games gold 2022 and 2026; eight Women’s Asia Cup titles |
| Governing body | Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) |
India Women’s Current Squad (October 2026)
This is the latest India women’s squad, picked on 6 October 2026 for the home series against Zimbabwe: three T20Is in Raipur (16 to 20 October) and three ODIs in Vadodara (23, 25 and 28 October). It is Smriti Mandhana’s first series as full-time captain.
| Player | T20I squad | ODI squad |
|---|---|---|
| Smriti Mandhana (captain) | Yes | Yes |
| Shafali Verma | Yes (vice-captain) | Yes |
| Deepti Sharma | Yes | Yes (vice-captain) |
| Harmanpreet Kaur | Yes | Yes |
| Richa Ghosh (wk) | Yes | Yes |
| Sree Charani | Yes | Yes |
| Nandni Sharma | Yes | Yes |
| Kranti Gaud | Yes | Yes |
| G Kamalini (wk) | Yes | – |
| Niki Prasad | Yes | – |
| Anushka Sharma | Yes | – |
| Prema Rawat | Yes | – |
| Arundhati Reddy | Yes | – |
| Jintimani Kalita | Yes | – |
| Minnu Mani | Yes | – |
| Pratika Rawal | – | Yes |
| Harleen Deol | – | Yes |
| Tejal Hasabnis | – | Yes |
| Yastika Bhatia (wk) | – | Yes |
| Vaishnavi Sharma | – | Yes |
| Sayali Satghare | – | Yes |
| Renuka Thakur | – | Yes |
Key Players of the Indian Women’s Cricket Team (With Photos)
Smriti Mandhana (Captain)
The left-handed opener took over as full-time captain in October 2026 after years as Harmanpreet’s deputy. One of the best batters in women’s cricket, she became the world No. 1 ODI batter in 2025, and her 79 off 45 balls set up India’s win in the 2026 Asian Games final. Read about her record T20I century and her 11th ODI hundred.
Harmanpreet Kaur (Former Captain)
Harmanpreet captained India in 211 internationals (five Tests, 51 ODIs and 155 T20Is) and led the team to its maiden 50-over World Cup title in 2025, becoming the third Indian captain to win an ODI World Cup after Kapil Dev and MS Dhoni. She stepped down as captain across formats on 6 October 2026 but continues to play, and is in both squads for the Zimbabwe series.
Deepti Sharma (All-rounder, ODI Vice-captain)
A left-handed batter and right-arm off-spinner, Deepti is one of only four Grade A contract players. Her 188 against Ireland in 2017 is among the highest ODI scores by an Indian woman, and she took 3 for 6 in the 2026 Asian Games final.
Shafali Verma (Opener, T20I Vice-captain)
Shafali is one of the most aggressive openers in the women’s game and the youngest player to represent India in all three formats. She shared a 99-run opening stand with Mandhana in the 2026 Asian Games final and is now vice-captain of the T20I side.
Jemimah Rodrigues
The Mumbai batter was promoted to a Grade A contract after a match-winning role in India’s 2025 World Cup triumph. She played at the 2026 T20 World Cup but was ruled out of the Asian Games with a hamstring injury suffered in The Hundred, and is not in the Zimbabwe squad.
Other Key Players
- Richa Ghosh: First-choice wicketkeeper-batter and a Grade B contract player; hit an unbeaten 49 off 22 balls in the Asian Games final.
- Renuka Thakur: Swing bowler who leads the new-ball attack in ODIs; Grade B contract.
- Sree Charani: Left-arm spinner who broke through in 2025 and took four wickets against Japan at the Asian Games.
- Kranti Gaud: Young fast bowler and one of seven players handed a first central contract in 2026.
- Harleen Deol: Top-order batter recalled to the ODI squad and back on a Grade C contract.
- Arundhati Reddy: Seam bowler in the T20I squad and a Grade C contract player.
BCCI Central Contracts for India Women (2025-26)
The BCCI announced 21 women’s contracts on 9 February 2026, covering 1 October 2025 to 30 September 2026. The 2026-27 list had not been announced at the time of this update.
| Grade (annual retainer) | Players |
|---|---|
| Grade A (₹50 lakh) | Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma |
| Grade B (₹30 lakh) | Renuka Thakur, Shafali Verma, Richa Ghosh, Sneh Rana |
| Grade C (₹10 lakh) | Radha Yadav, Amanjot Kaur, Pratika Rawal, Kranti Gaud, Uma Chetry, Arundhati Reddy, Sree Charani, Yastika Bhatia, Harleen Deol, Kashvee Gautam, G Kamalini, Vaishnavi Sharma, Tejal Hasabnis |
India Women’s Recent Results and Achievements
| Tournament | Result |
|---|---|
| ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 (India) | Champions, India’s first 50-over world title |
| ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 (England) | Group stage: three wins from five, knocked out after a six-wicket loss to Australia at Lord’s |
| Women’s T20 Asia Cup 2026 (Dubai) | Champions, beat Sri Lanka in the final for a record eighth Asia Cup title |
| Asian Games 2026 (Aichi-Nagoya) | Gold, beat Sri Lanka by 147 runs after a Games-record 216/3 |
India have also already qualified for women’s cricket at the LA 2028 Olympics as the highest-ranked Asian team at the 2026 T20 World Cup. For live scores and news, see our women’s cricket hub and the latest ICC women’s team rankings.
Legends of Indian Women’s Cricket
Mithali Raj
Women’s ODI cricket’s all-time leading run-scorer led India to World Cup finals in 2005 and 2017 and retired in 2022. Her 214 against England at Taunton in 2002 remains a landmark Test innings. Read interesting facts about Mithali Raj.
Jhulan Goswami
The pace spearhead retired in 2022 as the leading wicket-taker in women’s ODI history and won the ICC Women’s Player of the Year award in 2007. Read Jhulan Goswami’s profile and the full list of most wickets in women’s ODI cricket.
FAQ: Indian Women’s Cricket Team
Who is the captain of the Indian women’s cricket team?
Smriti Mandhana is the captain of the Indian women’s cricket team in all formats. She took over in October 2026 after Harmanpreet Kaur stepped down.
Who is the coach of the Indian women’s cricket team?
Amol Muzumdar is the head coach of the Indian women’s cricket team. He coached India to the 2025 Women’s Cricket World Cup title.
Has the Indian women’s team won the World Cup?
Yes. India won the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in 2025 under Harmanpreet Kaur, their first 50-over world title. They have not yet won the Women’s T20 World Cup.
What is the nickname of the Indian women’s cricket team?
The Indian women’s cricket team is known as the Women in Blue.
Which India women players have Grade A BCCI contracts?
Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues and Deepti Sharma held Grade A contracts, worth ₹50 lakh a year, in the 2025-26 list.
Related reading
- Richest women cricketers in the world
- England women’s cricket team players list with photos
- ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 in England
- 2011 Cricket World Cup Indian team
Latest: India have won the ODI series against Zimbabwe, taking a 2-0 lead in Vadodara with hundreds from Harmanpreet Kaur (126) and Deepti Sharma (106*) in the second ODI. The third ODI is on 28 October 2026. Compare with the Australia women’s squad, the 2026 T20 world champions. This page is updated when India women name a new squad.
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