Summary of this article
BCCI announce squad for Indian women's team's tour of South Africa
Women in Blue will play a 5-match T20I series up first
Both the teams famously met in the ICC Women's ODI World Cup final last year
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the squad for the Indian women's team's upcoming away 5-match T20I series against Laura Wolvaardt's South Africa starting from April 17 onwards .
This will be the two team's first bilateral series since meeting in the ICC Women's ODI World Cup final last year in Navi Mumbai. India had won that final by 55 runs to become inaugural champions in front of a sea of Indian fans.
South Africa were, of course, left heartbroken with that result but the kind of cricket they had played was commendable. Notably, since losing that final, the Proteas Women have lost only one ODI match against Pakistan on March 1.
In T20Is, Laura Wolvaardt and co have had it a lot of more tougher, losing the 2nd of a 3-match series against Pakistan last month.
Currently, the Rainbow Nation are in danger of enduring a 4-1 loss in the on-going 5-match W-T20I series in New Zealand with the hosts claiming an unassailable 3-1 lead after the 4th encounter 2 days ago.
As for India, following their historic 2025 World Cup triumph, the Women in Blue's form has remained largely dominant. They secured a 5-0 T20I whitewash against Sri Lanka in December before heading over to Australia for a multi-format series.
While India clinched a historic 2-1 T20I series win, which was their first in Australia since 2016, the longer formats proved to be challenging.
The ODI series was a 3-0 whitewash in favour of the hosts, peaking in a 185-run win at Hobart where Alyssa Healy smashed 158.
In the subsequent day-night Test at Perth, India struggled against Annabel Sutherland, who scored 129 and took four wickets. Despite a resilient 63 from debutant Pratika Rawal, India fell to a 10-wickets defeat.
India's Squad For 5-Match W-T20I Series Against South Africa
The BCCI has announced a very strong squad for India's next W-T20I assignment in South Africa. This will be the Women in Blue's first international outing since the conclusion of the Women's Premier League last month.
Harmanpreet Kaur (C) and Smriti Mandhana (VC) will take the leadership roles as usual.
4-time WPL runners-up Shafali Verma and Jemimah Rodrigues have been picked alongside all-rounder Deepti Sharma and wicket-keeper batter Richa Ghosh.
In the fast bowling department, Renuka Singh will lead the front along with Arundhati Reddy, Anushka Sharma, Bharti Fulmali, Kranti Gaud and Kashvee Gautam.
In the spin department, Sree Charani will partner with Shreyanka Patil.
India Women's Tour Of South Africa 2026: W-T20I Series Schedule
| Match | Date | Venue | Time |
| 1st T20I | 17-Apr-26 | Durban | 9:30PM |
| 2nd T20I | 19-Apr-26 | Durban | 5:30PM |
| 3rd T20I | 22-Apr-26 | Johannesburg | 9:30PM |
| 4th T20I | 25-Apr-26 | Johannesburg | 9:30PM |
| 5th T20I | 27-Apr-26 | Benoni | 5:30PM |
India's Full Squad
Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (WK), Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Thakur, Kranti Gaud, Sree Charani, Shreyanka Patil, Kashvee Gautam, Bharti Fulmali, Uma Chetry (WK), Anushka Sharma
