India captain Harmanpreet Kaur has welcomed a packed international schedule as the team builds toward the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026, stressing that regular game time will be crucial to their chances of success.
With just weeks to go before the tournament, India are set for an intense run of overseas fixtures. They will take on South Africa in a five-match T20I series starting April 17, followed by three T20Is against England from May 28 to June 2. These series are expected to serve as vital preparation, offering India a chance to fine-tune combinations, assess bench strength, and build momentum in varying conditions.
The upcoming assignments come on the back of a strong showing in Australia, where India recently secured a 2-1 T20I series win on Australian soil. Beating Australia away from home is no small feat, and the result has injected confidence into the squad at a crucial juncture. It also highlighted India’s growing ability to compete and win consistently against top-tier opposition in challenging environments.
Speaking at a recent event, Harmanpreet emphasized how vital consistent match exposure is for the team, particularly in the lead-up to a global tournament. “We want to keep playing all the time. It is good to see that our schedule is quite busy,” she said. “We need to keep playing cricket back-to-back, because that will help us grow as cricketers and improve our game.”
India also enters this phase as reigning champions of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025, having lifted the trophy at home last year. That triumph marked a significant milestone for the team and has raised expectations heading into future ICC events. Reflecting on that success, Harmanpreet highlighted the team’s unity and ambition to replicate such moments on the global stage. “We all wanted to come together and perform really well for our country. It is a great feeling after winning the World Cup,” she said. “Hopefully in the future, we will experience many more moments like this.”
Despite their ODI World Cup triumph, India are still chasing their first Women’s T20 World Cup title. Their best finish came in 2020, when they reached the final but fell short against Australia. Bridging that gap remains a key goal, and Harmanpreet believes that regular, high-quality fixtures against strong opponents will be central to achieving it. “I am really happy with this busy schedule. And hopefully, we will keep getting more matches in the future,” she added, underlining the importance of sustained exposure at the highest level.
India will open their T20 World Cup campaign with a high-profile clash against Pakistan on June 14. Placed in a competitive Group A alongside Australia, Bangladesh, South Africa, and Netherlands, they face a demanding path to the knockout stages, where early momentum could prove decisive.
With recent success in Australia, a major ODI title already secured, and a demanding international calendar ahead, India’s preparation appears both structured and purposeful. The focus now will be on maintaining consistency, managing workload, and arriving at the tournament with clarity in roles and combinations. As Harmanpreet pointed out, staying match-ready through continuous cricket could ultimately be the difference as India chases a historic T20 World Cup triumph.
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