Smriti Mandhana has been appointed India women's full-time captain by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), which on Tuesday, 6 October 2026 also announced the squads for the upcoming T20I and ODI series against Zimbabwe. Mandhana, who previously led India in 18 T20Is and four ODIs in a stand-in capacity, now begins her permanent tenure at the helm with this home series.

Leadership reshuffle after Harmanpreet's exit

The captaincy change follows Harmanpreet Kaur's decision to step down from the leadership role across all formats. Despite relinquishing the armband, Harmanpreet retains her place in both the T20I and ODI squads, signalling that the transition is a leadership-only shift and not a recall or exclusion decision.

Shafali Verma has been named vice-captain for the three-match T20I series, while all-rounder Deepti Sharma will serve as Mandhana's deputy in the ODI format — a clear delineation of the leadership structure across the two formats.

New faces and returning players in T20I squad

The 15-member T20I squad features maiden call-ups for Niki Prasad and Jintimani Kalita. Both players have featured for India A and were part of the India A group that faced England A earlier this year. Niki, who has impressed in domestic cricket, arrives on the back of consistent performances at the A level. Jintimani, likewise, has made her mark through the India A pathway.

Three players have returned to the setup after missing recent assignments: Anushka Sharma, Minnu Mani, and leg-spinner Prema Rawat. Prema notably earned her international debut after being drafted into the T20 World Cup squad as a replacement for the injured Shreyanka Patil earlier this year. She had previously claimed eight wickets in five matches during India's victorious Women's Asia Cup Rising Stars campaign.

Compared to the Asian Games gold-medal-winning T20I squad, there are five changes: Niki, Anushka, Jintimani, Prema, and Minnu come in for Bharti Fulmali, Pratika Rawal, Renuka Thakur, Radha Yadav, and Shreyanka Patil.

ODI squad sees recalls for Hasabnis and Satghare

For the three-match ODI series, Tejal Hasabnis and Sayali Satghare have been recalled. Both players featured for the India A side that toured England earlier this year, with Hasabnis scoring an unbeaten 57 in a one-day match against England A. Their inclusion reflects the selectors' intent to blood depth options ahead of a busy bilateral calendar.

Series schedule and background

This series will be India's first assignment following their retention of the Asian Games gold medal in Aichi-Nagoya, where India entered as defending champions after winning the women's cricket gold at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou.

The three T20Is will be played in Raipur on 16, 18, and 20 October, followed by three ODIs in Vadodara on 23, 25, and 28 October.

Mandhana, a left-handed opener who has been part of the national team since 2013, also led Royal Challengers Bengaluru to Women's Premier League (WPL) titles in 2024 and 2026, underlining her credentials as a captain in high-pressure formats. Her full-time appointment marks the beginning of a new leadership era for Indian women's cricket.

India's T20I Squad: Smriti Mandhana [C], Shafali Verma [VC], Niki Prasad, Harmanpreet Kaur, Anushka Sharma, Richa Ghosh [WK], G Kamalini [WK], Deepti Sharma, Prema Rawat, Sree Charani, Nandni Sharma, Kranti Gaud, Arundhati Reddy, Jintimani Kalita, Minnu Mani.

India's ODI Squad: Smriti Mandhana [C], Shafali Verma, Pratika Rawal, Harmanpreet Kaur, Harleen Deol, Tejal Hasabnis, Deepti Sharma [VC], Richa Ghosh [WK], Yastika Bhatia [WK], Vaishnavi Sharma, Nandni Sharma, Sree Charani, Kranti Gaud, Sayali Satghare, Renuka Thakur.