BCCI announces India Women's squad for Asia Cup T20 2026, Jemimah Rodrigues out, Pratika Rawal in

The BCCI has announced India’s squad for the 2026 Women’s Asia Cup, with Harmanpreet Kaur named captain and Smriti Mandhana appointed vice-captain. The tournament will be held in the UAE from August 28 to September 5.

India will be without star batter Jemimah Rodrigues, who has been ruled out of the Asia Cup due to a hamstring injury. Young batter Pratika Rawal has been included in the squad as her replacement.

The BCCI said Jemimah suffered a right hamstring injury on August 3 while playing for Southern Brave in The Hundred in England. Medical tests at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru confirmed a high-grade tear, ruling her out of both the Asia Cup and the upcoming Asian Games in Japan.

Why was Jemimah Rodrigues dropped? Hamstring injury explained

Jemimah Rodrigues has been ruled out of the Women’s Asia Cup after suffering a right hamstring injury while playing in The Hundred in England on August 3. She was representing Southern Brave when she picked up the injury.

After returning to India, Jemimah was assessed by the BCCI Medical Team at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. The medical assessment confirmed a high-grade tear in her right hamstring.

The injury has ruled Jemimah out of both the Women’s Asia Cup in the UAE and the upcoming Asian Games in Japan. The BCCI Women’s Selection Committee has named Pratika Rawal as her replacement for the Asia Cup.

Full India Women's squad list for Asia Cup 2026 in Dubai

Jemimah Rodrigues will also miss the Asian Games in Nagoya, where women’s cricket will be played in the T20 format from September 17 to October 3. India, the top-seeded team, will begin its campaign against hosts Japan in the quarter-finals.

If India reach the semi-finals, they could face Bangladesh or Hong Kong, China. Pakistan are in the other half of the draw, so India and Pakistan can meet only in the gold-medal final or bronze-medal play-off, both scheduled for September 22.

India Women’s Squad for Asia Cup 2026: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Shafali Verma, Bharti Fulmali, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wk), G. Kamalini (wk), Arundhati Reddy, Prema Rawat, Radha Yadav, Sri Charani, Renuka Thakur, Nandini Sharma, Kranti Gaud and Pratika Rawal.

What Pratika Rawal's selection means for India's batting order

The ACC Women’s Asia Cup 2026 will be played in the UAE from August 28 to September 13. Pratika Rawal’s inclusion gives India another reliable top-order option after Jemimah Rodrigues was ruled out due to injury.

Rawal’s selection could provide stability alongside Smriti Mandhana at the top of the order. Her inclusion also gives India more flexibility to change their batting approach during the powerplay, depending on the match situation.

India are placed in Group A with Pakistan, Thailand and Hong Kong, China. Harmanpreet Kaur’s team will face Thailand on August 30, Hong Kong on September 3 and Pakistan on September 5. All three matches will be played at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, starting at 8:00 PM IST.