Women's T20 World Cup 2026: India's strongest playing 11

India might not be the prime contenders, but they are certainly one of the strongest teams in the Women's T20 World Cup 2026. After winning the ODI World Cup for the first time last year, Harmanpreet Kaur and Co. will be buoyant about their chances of lifting a maiden T20 World Cup.

While India does have a very balanced squad, picking the best XI players and sticking to it as much as they can could prove to be key for them. The Women in Blue are placed in a tough group and therefore, the margin for error will be very less. Let's take a look at what India's strongest playing XI could look like.

Women's T20 World Cup 2026: India's strongest playing XI

Top-order: Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia

Shafali Verma came in as the injury replacement for Pratika Rawal during the Women's ODI World Cup last year and played a fine hand in the final against the Proteas. She will play the aggressor's role at the top for India, while Smriti Mandhana will look to bat deep. If the openers for India perform well during the campaign, it will increase their chances of going deep in the tournament considerably. Yastika Bhatia was the highest run-scorer during the T20 tour of England, and she did well in India's first warm-up game against the West Indies. The southpaw is expected to bat at the important No. 3 position.