New Delhi: The Indian women’s cricket team enters 2026 riding on unprecedented momentum after their historic triumph in the 2025 ODI World Cup, with a packed schedule offering multiple opportunities to cement their dominance.
The World Cup victory – India’s first-ever senior ICC women’s trophy – has transformed expectations around the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side. It has also meant that the narrative around the Indian team has shifted from contenders to being capable of winning championships consistently.
Adding to it, India retaining its 2025 U19 Women’s T20 World Cup title in Malaysia and the A team winning a 50-over series in Australia meant 2025 will forever be remembered as a golden year for women’s cricket in the country.
After the five T20Is against Sri Lanka end their 2025 commitments, the members of the Indian team will join their respective franchises for the 2026 Women’s Premier League (WPL) happening from January 9 to February 5 in Navi Mumbai and Vadodara. It will be the first WPL edition since the ODI World Cup triumph, and everyone’s attention will be on the new gems that the event will produce for the national team.
India then embarks on a gruelling all-format tour to Australia in February-March before shifting focus to preparing for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup to be played in England from June 12 to July 5. In their preparation to add the shortest format’s crown to their ODI title, India will also play three T20Is against England from May 28 to June 2.
Once the tournament is over, India and England will contest in the first-ever women’s Test match at Lord’s Cricket Ground, starting on July 10. It will break new ground for women’s cricket at the iconic venue that has hosted men’s World Cup finals and cricket’s most prestigious games for over two centuries.
The women’s team will then try to defend their Asian Games T20 gold medal in September and October, when the multi-sport event happens in Aichi and Nagoya, Japan. India will then host Zimbabwe for three ODIs and as many T20Is in October at home, before going on an all-format tour of South Africa – a Test, three ODIs and as many T20Is.
Key challenges for the Indian team include maintaining consistency in formats, managing workload for star players, and building depth beyond the core group that delivered ODI World Cup glory.
(IANS)
