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The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Wednesday revealed that the squad of the India Women's for the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 will be announced on May 2.

The 2026 Women's T20 WC will see 12 teams in action in England and Wales, with the tournament commencing on June 12 in which New Zealand will be defending the crown that they won in 2024. The final will be held on July 5. In a post on X, the BCCI said, "Mark your calendars. Team India's squad announcement for the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 coming your way this Saturday." Mark your calendars 🗓️ #TeamIndia's squad announcement for the ICC Women's #T20WorldCup 2⃣0⃣2⃣6⃣ coming your way this Saturday 🤩 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/jVARcIdNlk — BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) April 29, 2026

India's road to the World Cup

Before the World Cup, India Women will also feature in three T20Is against England in England. They will play the series opener on May 28 and then play the second T20I on May 30 before playing the third match of the series on June 2.

Recap: India's recent T20I form

In their most recent T20I assignment, the Harmanpreet Kaur-led India faced a disappointing 4-1 defeat against South Africa, led by Laura Wolvaardt. In the fifth T20I of the series, an explosive 92 from skipper Wolvaardt and some sensational bowling from South Africa propelled the hosts to a 23-run win over India at Benoni.

South Africa's Innings

South Africa won the toss and elected to bat first. Wolvaardt put on a 75-run opening stand with Sune Luus (23 in 23 balls, with two fours and a six). But Shree Charani and Deepti Sharma reduced SA to 82/3, getting Luus, Tazmin Brits (2), and Annerie Dercksen (0) in quick succession.

Later on, double-digit cameos came from Chloe Tryon (12 in 10 balls) and Sinalo Jafta (16* in eight balls, with two fours), with the skipper Wolvaardt unbeaten at 92* in 56 balls, with 11 fours and two sixes. Shree Charani (2/22), Deepti (2/37), and Renuka Singh Thakur (2/21) were top class with the ball, reducing SA to 155/6 in 20 overs.

India's Run-Chase

During the run-chase of 156 runs, India went down to 38/3 in 7.3 overs, with Shafali Varma (4), Anushka Sharma (17) and Jemimah Rodrigues (1) falling quickly.

Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (22 in 22 balls, with two fours) put on a 38-run stand with Bharti Fulmali, taking the game in a positive direction for India. But dismissal of Bharti at score of 40 in 30 balls, with three fours and two sixes at score of 99 as the fifth wicket swung back things in SA's favour. India needed 57 runs in 27 balls. Richa Ghosh (25* in 15 balls, with three fours and a six) delivered an important cameo, but did not find enough support, restricting India to 132/8. Nonkululeko Mlaba (2/15) and Nadine de Klerk (2/26) were the top bowlers for SA. (ANI)