Smriti Mandhana will begin her tenure as full-time captain of the Indian women’s cricket team with a three-match 2026 T20 series against Zimbabwe at home later this month.
The Women’s Selection Committee named a 15-member squad for the IND-W vs ZIM-W T20 series on Tuesday, with Shafali Verma appointed vice-captain.
The Zimbabwe series will also be India’s first assignment since successfully defending their Asian Games title in Aichi-Nagoya last month.
The leadership changes come after Harmanpreet Kaur stepped down as India captain across formats. The former skipper, however, will continue as a player and has been included in the India squad for the Zimbabwe T20 series.
Mandhana takes over after previously leading India in 18 T20Is, winning 11 and losing six, with one match ending in no result. She has also enjoyed considerable success as a franchise captain, guiding Royal Challengers Bengaluru to Women’s Premier League titles in 2024 and 2026.
Shafali Verma, meanwhile, assumes the deputy role in the T20I setup.
India’s squad also includes wicketkeepers Richa Ghosh and G Kamalini, while Deepti Sharma, Prema Rawat, Sree Charani and Minnu Mani provide the spin options.
Kranti Gaud, Arundhati Reddy, Jintimani Kalita and Nandni Sharma are also part of the 15-member group.
All three India vs Zimbabwe T20Is will be played in Raipur, with the series beginning on October 16. The second match is scheduled for October 18 before the series concludes on October 20.
India women’s squad for Zimbabwe T20 2026
Indian women’s cricket team: Smriti Mandhana (captain), Shafali Verma (vice-captain), Niki Prasad, Harmanpreet Kaur, Anushka Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wicketkeeper), G Kamalini (wicketkeeper), Deepti Sharma, Prema Rawat, Sree Charani, Nandni Sharma, Kranti Gaud, Arundhati Reddy, Jintimani Kalita, Minnu Mani.
READ MORE: https://www.olympics.com/en/news/india-women-zimbabwe-t20-2026-squad-smriti-mandhana-shafali-verma
