3 notable omissions from India’s Women’s T20 World Cup squad ft. Harleen Deol

On Tuesday, August 27, India’s 15-member squad for the Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 was announced. The tournament is set to take place in the UAE, starting October 3. In the previous edition of the event, India lost to Australia in the semi-final by five runs. However, this time the Women in Blue will aim to bring the trophy home, as the men’s team did earlier in the year.

India are placed in Group A, alongside Pakistan, New Zealand, Australia, and Sri Lanka. Harmanpreet Kaur's team will kick off their campaign against New Zealand on October 4, followed by a match against Pakistan on October 6. They will then face Sri Lanka on October 9, with their final group-stage game scheduled against Australia on October 13.

The Women in Blue were last seen in action during Asia Cup 2024, where they were defeated by Sri Lanka in the final by eight wickets. The focus now shifts to the World Cup, where the Indian team will aim to secure their first title.

Harmanpreet Kaur will continue as captain, with Smriti Mandhana as her deputy. Here is the 15-member squad for the tournament:

Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Yastika Bhatia (wk), Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wk), Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh, D Hemalatha, Asha Sobhana, Radha Yadav, Shreyanka Patil, and Sajeevan Sajana.

Wicketkeeper-batter Yastika Bhatia and Shreyanka Patil’s availability depends on their fitness. Meanwhile, the travelling reserves are Tanuja Kanwar, Uma Chetry, and Saima Thakor.

India have an experienced squad; however, some big names are missing. On that note, we will look at three notable omissions from India’s women’s T20 World Cup squad.

---

#1 Harleen Deol

The 26-year-old, who was part of India’s 2023 T20 World Cup squad, did not make the cut for this year’s edition. Harleen was last seen in action during the 2024 Women’s Premier League, but her tournament was limited to just three games due to a knee injury sustained in a match against the UP Warriorz.

In those three games, the Gujarat Giants batter gave a disappointing performance, scoring only 48 runs. Deol has played 24 T20Is for India, accumulating 251 runs at an average of 16.73, including one half-century. She has also appeared in 10 ODIs for the Women in Blue.

---

#2 Sneh Rana

Sneh Rana is another player on the list. The bowling all-rounder last played a T20I for India in the 2023 T20 World Cup semi-final. Rana had a disappointing outing, conceding 33 runs in her four-over spell and scoring 11 off 10 balls, as the Women in Blue lost the game by five runs.

Since then, she has not played international cricket in the shortest format but has been a regular in the ODI and Test teams. She had a poor 2024 WPL, where she did not take a single wicket in four matches. Overall, Rana has played 25 T20Is for India, claiming 24 wickets.

---

#3 Rajeshwari Gayakwad

The 33-year-old left-arm spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad will not feature in the 2024 Women’s T20 World Cup. Her last T20I appearance for India was in the 2023 Asian Games final against Sri Lanka, where she claimed two wickets and helped secure a 19-run victory.

In the 2024 WPL, she played for UP Warriorz and took six wickets in eight matches. With extensive experience, having played 58 T20Is and taken 61 wickets for India, her exclusion from the squad represents a significant decision by the selectors.