Young wicketkeeper G Kamalini replaces Yastika Bhatia, while Shreyanka Patil earns a place subject to fitness clearance for the women’s cricket event in Japan.

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India have announced their squad for the 2026 Asian Games women’s cricket competition, making one notable change from the team that exited the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in the group stage. Wicketkeeper-batter Yastika Bhatia has been left out, with teenage talent G Kamalini earning a call-up as the backup wicketkeeper for the tournament, which will be held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, from September 17 to 22.

Another key selection is all-rounder Shreyanka Patil, who has been included in the squad subject to a fitness clearance. Patil missed the remainder of the Women’s T20 World Cup after suffering an ankle ligament injury during India’s match against the Netherlands. Leg-spinner Prema Rawat, who replaced Patil in the World Cup squad and featured in one game, has not been retained for the Asian Games.

Yastika Bhatia’s omission comes after a disappointing T20 World Cup campaign. The left-handed batter scored just 41 runs in three innings across four matches at an average of 13.66 and a strike rate of 117.14. India experimented with her batting position, using her at No. 3, No. 5, and even pushing her down the order. In India’s final group-stage clash against Australia, Bhatia was listed below No. 6 and did not get an opportunity to bat.

The selectors have instead shown faith in 17-year-old G Kamalini, one of India’s brightest young prospects. Kamalini impressed during her first two seasons with the Mumbai Indians in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) and made her international debut during India’s home T20I series against Sri Lanka in December 2025. Opening the batting in her only T20I appearance, she scored 12 runs. Across 15 T20 matches, Kamalini has accumulated 119 runs, featuring both as an opener and a lower-order batter.

India will head into the Asian Games as the defending gold medallists, having defeated Sri Lanka by 19 runs in the final of the 2023 edition. The 2026 women’s cricket tournament will feature Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, and China, with India aiming to retain their title.

India Women’s Squad for 2026 Asian Games

Harmanpreet Kaur (Captain), Smriti Mandhana (Vice-Captain), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (WK), G Kamalini (WK), Bharti Fulmali, Shree Charani, Renuka Singh, Kranti Gaud, Arundhati Reddy, Shreyanka Patil (subject to fitness clearance), Radha Yadav, Nandani Sharma.