India’s Under-19 women’s cricket programme has taken another significant step towards the ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup 2027, with the Women’s Selection Committee announcing India U19 A and India U19 B squads for the T20 Tri-Series.
Featuring Nepal U19 as the third team, the seven-match competition will be played at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru from November 10 to November 22, 2026. The tri-series offers India’s next generation of women cricketers valuable competitive exposure ahead of the World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by Nepal and Bangladesh from January 21 to February 6, 2027.
India enters this preparation phase with an outstanding Under-19 World Cup pedigree. Led by Shafali Verma, India were crowned champions of the inaugural ICC Women’s Under-19 World Cup in South Africa in 2023. The side then successfully defended its title in Malaysia in 2025, with Niki Prasad leading India to victory in the second edition of the tournament. With two titles from the first two editions, India will begin the 2027 campaign carrying both expectation and the confidence of an established winning culture.
The tri-series has been designed to give the selectors a closer look at a wide pool of promising players. By fielding two India U19 teams, the BCCI has created an environment in which young cricketers can compete for places, adapt to different match situations and demonstrate their readiness for the demands of international age-group cricket. The presence of Nepal U19 adds an important external challenge, ensuring that the series is not confined to internal competition alone.
Bhavika Ahire will captain India U19 A, with Ira Jadhav named vice-captain. Ahire also brings wicketkeeping responsibilities to the role, while the squad includes several players capable of shaping matches with both bat and ball.
India U19 A squad: Bhavika Ahire [C] [WK], Tanishka Sharma, Riya Bhati, Ira Jadhav [VC], Nidhi Mahto, Ipsita Mondal, Purva Siwach, Mehek Narwase, Shambhavi Rajput [WK], Maitri Maniar, Julie Kumari, Gauri Goyal, Nandhana Sridharan, Preeti Kapoor, Grisha Kataria
India U19 B squad: Ishwari Awsare, Rachita Hatwar [WK], Deeya Yadav, Archana, Shreya S Chawan [WK], Samaira Raghav, Kumari Palak, Uma Kashvi [VC], Achsah Parmar, Nishta Soti, Vidhi Parmar, Vandita K Rao, Anaadi Tagde [C], Akshara Tiwari, Palak Singh
The schedule has been structured to give each side multiple opportunities to face different opponents before the final. India U19 A and India U19 B will meet twice in the league stage, while both Indian teams will play Nepal U19 twice as well. The final on November 22 will bring the tri-series to a close and provide a high-stakes platform for players seeking to strengthen their claims for future India U19 selection.
Under-19 Tri-Series Schedule:
10th November 2026 (Tuesday) – India A vs India B
12th November 2026 (Thursday) – India B vs Nepal
14th November 2026 (Saturday) – India A vs Nepal
16th November 2026 (Monday) – India A vs India B
18th November 2026 (Wednesday) – India B vs Nepal
20th November 2026 (Friday) – India A vs Nepal
22nd November 2026 (Sunday) – Final
For Nepal U19, the series represents a valuable opportunity to test themselves against two strong Indian squads on Indian soil. For India, it is about more than results. The tri-series will help identify players who can handle pressure, contribute across phases of a T20 match and grow into potential successors to the players who delivered back-to-back World Cup triumphs.
As the countdown to the 2027 ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup begins, the Muthoot FinCorp T20 Tri-Series provides an early and important checkpoint. With two India U19 squads and Nepal U19 in action, Bengaluru will host a competition that could shape the next chapter of India’s remarkable Under-19 women’s cricket story.
I am Yash Tailor, and I believe work should be driven by passion. Therefore, after completing my Engineering, I chose to work in the Cricket industry, my passion. My goal is to reach a stage where I truly enjoy what I do and give my best to every task with energy and purpose.