3 Big Names Who Missed Out on India's Squad for 2025 Women's World Cup ft. Shafali Verma

India recently announced their squad for the 2025 Women's World Cup. There is still some uncertainty about the venues and tickets for the tournament, but the selectors were clear while choosing their 15-member team. Harmanpreet Kaur will lead India, and Smriti Mandhana will be her deputy. Renuka Singh Thakur has been selected even after a long time out due to injury, while the less experienced trio of Pratika Rawal, Sree Charani, and Kranti Goud have also been picked.

At the same time, there were a few notable exclusions that surprised many. While all the decisions were justified, it was a bit strange that these players were not included even in the standby list.

Here are three big names who missed out on India's squad for the 2025 Women's World Cup:

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3.  Asha Sobhana

Asha Sobhana has played only two ODIs, so it was not a big surprise that she missed out on the 2025 Women's World Cup squad. She also missed the 2025 Women's Premier League season due to injury and was not in the national team's plans for the tournament. Earlier, it seemed like Asha could easily become a regular in the 50-over team. India has chosen more pace bowlers, with Sneh Rana and Sree Charani joining Deepti Sharma and Radha Yadav, plus some part-time options. In a home World Cup, having a leg-spinner like Asha could have been useful. But because of her injuries and lack of experience in this format, it is understandable that India did not pick her.

2.  Shafali Verma

The biggest surprise from India's squad announcement was that Shafali Verma was left out of the 15 and not even included in the standbys. The 21-year-old has played 29 ODIs and scored 644 runs at an average of 23. Shafali’s inconsistency has been an issue for years, and she has not improved enough to fix the gaps in her game. Pratika Rawal has been more stable at the top of the order, so Shafali was never likely to be picked in the first-choice team. The backup batter slot went to the versatile Yastika Bhatia.

1.  Shreyanka Patil

Shreyanka Patil, another player expected to become a regular for India, has had a tough year. The off-spinner faced several injuries and, like Asha, missed the 2025 Women's Premier League. She was reportedly cleared by the Centre of Excellence before the World Cup squad was announced. But the selectors probably did not want to disturb the team balance. Even so, it is worth questioning why she was not included in the standby list, given her clear talent with the ball.

India’s squad for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup

Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Renuka Singh Thakur, Arundhati Reddy, Richa Ghosh (wk), Kranti Gaud, Amanjot Kaur, Radha Yadav, Sree Charani, Yastika Bhatia (wk), Sneh Rana.