India will ramp up preparations for the 2026 Women’s World Cup T20 with warm-up matches against hosts England and West Indies after the International Cricket Council confirmed the full training schedule on Tuesday.
Harmanpreet Kaur-led India will first face West Indies in Cardiff on June 8 and host England on June 10 at the same venue. The clash with England will serve as India’s final tune-up before the tournament begins against Pakistan in Birmingham on June 14.
The Women’s T20 World Cup is set to begin on June 12, with a total of 12 warm-up matches scheduled between June 6 and 10 in Derby, Loughborough and Cardiff.
India’s clash with England is expected to be one of the main matches of the warm-up phase, especially with the hosts also taking on defending champions Australia on June 8 in Cardiff.
Another major fixture will see last year’s finalists New Zealand and South Africa face each other in Loughborough on June 9.
Tournament debutants the Netherlands begin their preparations against Scotland in Derby on June 6. The Dutch side, along with Bangladesh, Ireland and Scotland, secured qualification for the World Cup through the Global Qualifier.
India recently named a strong squad for the Women’s T20 World Cup and the T20I series in England that preceded the event. The squad saw the return of left-arm spinner Radha Yadav and wicket-keeper batsman Yastika Bhatia.
Yastika’s return is a major boost for India after a long layoff due to injury. The wicketkeeper missed the Women’s ODI World Cup and the 2026 Premier League following surgery on a serious left knee injury she suffered in September 2025.
The squad was finalized after a selection committee meeting attended by captain Harmanpreet, head coach Amol Muzumdar, chairman of selection committee Amita Sharma and BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia.
India have been drawn in a tough group with Australia, South Africa, Bangladesh and the Netherlands, so the warm-up games were crucial to help the side settle the combinations ahead of the main tournament.
Meanwhile, the tournament has already generated considerable fan interest, with ticket sales exceeding 145,000, making the 2026 edition the best-selling Women’s T20 World Cup in history.
Hosts England will open the tournament against Sri Lanka in Birmingham on June 12.
Schedule of friendly matches (all times local):
June 6
10:00: Netherlands vs. Scotland, Derby
10am: South Africa v Ireland, Loughborough
3pm: Sri Lanka vs Pakistan, Derby
3pm: New Zealand v Bangladesh, Loughborough
June 8
10am: West Indies vs India, Cardiff
3pm: England vs. Australia, Cardiff
June 9
10am: Scotland v Pakistan, Derby
10:00: Ireland vs. Bangladesh, Loughborough
15:00: Netherlands vs. Sri Lanka, Derby
3pm: South Africa v New Zealand, Loughborough
June 10th
10:00 AM: India Vs. England, Cardiff
3:00 PM: West Indies Vs. Australia, Cardiff
Indian Team:
Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Bharti Fulmali, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (WK), Sree Charani, Yastika Bhatia, Nandni Sharma, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh Thakur, Kranti Yaildav, Radha. Shreyan
– The end
Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
13 May 2026 19:56 IST
