Following their historic victory in the 2025 ODI World Cup, the Indian women’s cricket team enters 2026 with unheard-of momentum and a jam-packed schedule that offers numerous chances to solidify their domination. Expectations surrounding the Harmanpreet Kaur-led team have changed as a result of the World Cup victory, which was India’s first-ever senior ICC women’s championship. Additionally, the narrative surrounding the Indian squad has changed from that of competitors to that of a team capable of winning championships on a regular basis.
In addition, the A team’s victory in a 50-over series in Australia and India’s retention of its 2025 U19 Women’s T20 World Cup championship in Malaysia meant that 2025 will always be seen as a golden year for women’s cricket in the nation. The Indian team will join their respective teams for the 2026 Women’s Premier League (WPL), which will take place in Navi Mumbai and Vadodara from January 9 to February 5, after the five Twenty20 Internationals against Sri Lanka conclude their 2025 obligations. India’s women’s cricket calendar is packed and ambitious following their ODI World Cup triumph. Attention first turns to the WPL, expected to unearth new talent, before a demanding all-format tour of Australia in February–March.
The team will then prepare for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in England (June 12–July 5), including three T20Is against England from May 28 to June 2. After the World Cup, India and England will play the first-ever women’s Test at Lord’s starting July 10. Later in the year, India will defend their Asian Games T20 gold medal in Japan, host Zimbabwe for ODIs and T20Is in October, and finish with an all-format tour of South Africa. Major challenges include maintaining consistency across formats, managing player workload, and building squad depth beyond the core World Cup winners.
