After finishing the year on a high note with a 5-0 T20I series win over Sri Lanka, India’s vice-captain Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Sneh Rana, Radha Yadav and Renuka Singh Thakur were among the devotees at Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain welcoming 2026, a crucial year with respect to Indian Women’s Cricket.
Indian Women’s Cricket had a fabulous season in 2025, filled with triumph and dominance. The most iconic event of them all would be the maiden ICC Women’s ODI World Cup that was brought home by the Women in Blue. It was a tournament that gave the fans a roller coaster of emotions from the start, right till the end.
The Kaur-led side had lost three consecutive matches against South Africa, Australia and England, which led to severe criticisms from the fans and pundits for their inability to handle pressure.
Even after securing a spot in the Semi-Finals, it seemed impossible to get through with Australia being the opponent to defeat. However, Jemimah Rodrigues’ historic century powered India to a record knockout chase of 339, which is the highest ever total chased in the ICC ODI World Cup Knockouts.
Shafali’s heroics in the final with both bat and ball played a monumental role in securing the World Cup. India was also dominant in other international cricket assignments, winning 4 bilateral series and the 2025 Sri Lanka Women’s Tri-Nation Series.
The Women in Blue also have an important road up ahead of them in 2026, with the T20 World Cup set to begin in June. With the WPL season set to begin this month, India will be keenly monitoring the performances of youngsters to prepare them for the mighty challenge.
India has several important overseas tours coming up in Australia and England. It would be crucial for the players to keep a check on their fitness due to the busy international schedule and the scuffle amongst the players in the squad to fight for their place in the starting XI.
When we look back at it in time, it seemed all like God’s plan throughout. India’s decision to back Jemimah Rodrigues gave her the chance to do the extraordinary against the mighty Australia. The injury of an in-form Pratika Rawal was treated as a curse until Shafali stepped up in the final, being the highest scorer for India in that match and ripping apart the middle order of the Proteas.
Despite many World Cup heartbreaks for Harmanpreet Kaur since 2009, she became the captain of the first-ever Indian women’s side to lead India to ODI World Cup glory. This spiritual visit will hold a significant impact, especially with a very demanding international calendar coming their way, and the confidence of the players will be high considering their current dominance in international cricket.
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