In the absence of Harmanpreet, opener Smriti Mandhana is going to lead the team. Spin-bowling all-rounder Deepti Sharma will be the vice-captain for the series. Along with that, Shafali Varma continues to face the snub as youngster Pratika Rawal has impressed the selectors during her debut in the ODI series against West Indies.

The ODI matches will be played on January 10, 12 and 15, and all the matches will be played at the Niranjan Stadium in Rajkot.

India’s squad for the ODI series:
Smriti Mandhana (c), Deepti Sharma (vc), Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Jemimah Rodrigues, Uma Chetry (wk), Richa Ghosh (wk), Tejal Hasabnis, Raghvi Bist, Minnu Mani, Priya Mishra, Tanuja Kanwer, Titas Sadhu, Saima Thakor, Sayali Satghare

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The Mumbai-based franchise bought the services of Nadine de Klerk, G Kamalini, Sanskriti Gupta, and Akshita Maheshwari i the auctions, but there was one special player who was the highlight of the team in the auction.

Tamil-Nadu’s star all-rounder G Kamalini came out as the most expensive player for MI, as she won a jackpot of a deal and won a massive amount of Rs. 1.60 crore.

MI had retained 14 players before the mini-auction as they had a budget of Rs. 2.65 crore. The key players including captain Harmanpreet Kaur, Amelia Kerr, Hayley Matthews, and Nat Sciver-Brunt, remain with the squad. As the team will aim to defend the WPL title next year, they have formed a formidable squad without a doubt.

Players bought by MI in WPL 2025 Auction:

1. G Kamalini (IND) – Rs. 1.60 crore
2. Nadine de Klerk (SA) – Rs. 30 lakh
3. Akshita Maheshwari (IND) – Rs. 20 lakh
4. Sanskriti Gupta (IND) – Rs. 10 lakh

MI Full Squad for WPL 2025:
Amanjot Kaur, Amelia Kerr, Chloe Tryon, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Hayley Matthews, Jintimani Kalita, Natalie Sciver, Pooja Vastrakar, Saika Ishaque, Yastika Bhatia, Shabnim Ismail, Amandeep Kaur, S. Sajana, Keerthana, Nadine de Klerk (Rs. 30 lakh), G Kamalini (Rs. 1.60 crore), Sanskriti Gupta (Rs. 10 lakh), Akshita Maheshwari (Rs. 20 lakh)

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Shafali has scored just 108 runs in six matches this year with 33 being the highest. She was also dropped last December midway during the home ODI series against Australia on the basis of her poor run of form.

Shafali broke into India’s ODI team back in 2021, however her last half-century in the format came against Sri Lanka in July 2022 when she scored an unbeaten 71 in Pallekele.

The likes of Uma Chetry, Dayalan Hemalatha, Shreyanka Patil and Sayali Satghare were also left out of the squad for the Australia series despite featuring in India’s 2-1 series triumph against New Zealand last month.

The first 2 ODIs of the Australia series will be played at the Allan Border Field in Brisbane on December 5 and 8 before the action shifts to WACA Ground, Perth on December 11 for the final match of the series.

India’s squad for three-match ODI series: Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana, Priya Punia, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harleen Deol, Yastika Bhatia (WK), Richa Ghosh (WK), Tejal Hasabnis, Deepti Sharma, Minnu Mani, Priya Mishra, Radha Yadav, Titas Sadhu, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh Thakur, Saima Thakor

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This comes after Kaur played an impressive knock of 59 runs from 63 deliveries in the third and final ODI of the series against New Zealand. The innings pushed her back into the top 10.

Left-hander Mandhana, who won the player of the match award for her knock of 100 in the third ODI, added 23 rating points to reach a tally of 728. The list is led by England’s Natalie Sciver-Brunt with 760 rating points. Also, wicketkeeper-batter Yastika Bhatia moved up from 48th to 45th after chipping in with 35 runs

In the bowling chart, seasoned spinner Deepti Sharma gained important rating points after helping India win the series 2-1. The all-rounder added 16 points to take her tally to 703 rating points thanks to her valuable bowling spell of 3/39 to hold onto the second spot. England’s left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone enjoys a huge lead at the top with 770 rating points.

India pacer Renuka Singh was up four places to 32nd while Saima Thakor (up 20 places to joint-77th) and Priya Mishra (up six places to 83rd) also progressed.

India is currently placed on 3rd position in the ICC Women’s Championship standings with 25 points, behind Australia and England who have 28 points each.

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Following this disappointing performance, it has come to light that BCCI and the team management may look to replace Harmanpreet Kaur as captain with an eye on the future. Head coach Amol Mazumdar is set to meet with BCCI officials and the selection committee to discuss the path forward for the women’s team, reported The Indian Express.

“The BCCI will certainly discuss whether to have a new captain on board going ahead. The Indian board has provided everything the team wanted, and we feel it’s high time a new face led the team in the future,” a source said.

The meeting between Mazumdar and the officials is set to take place before the series against New Zealand, which will begin on October 24. It remains unclear whether any change would be taken with immediate effect or not.

Harmanpreet, who has been in-charge of the Indian team since 2016, is expected to still remain a key figure in the squad even if she gets stripped off captaincy.

“Harmanpreet will continue to be an important member of the team but the BCCI feels it’s time for transition. Kaur had a solid performance on an individual level in the World Cup with bat,” the source further said.

Smriti Mandhana, the vice-captain will be the likely replacement for Harmanpreet as the skipper. Mandhana led the Royal Challengers Bangalore to the Women’s Premier League (WPL) title in 2024 and has also captained the Indian team in Harmanpreet’s absence.

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It was the first time under the long captaincy tenure of Harmanpreet Kaur, that India failed to qualify for the knockouts of the ICC tournament, which has extended the team’s run without a title in World events. This have also put serious question over her future as a skipper.

Speaking to PTI from Dubai, Mithali stated that the downfall of the team was because the team could not get familiar with the conditions in the UAE, lack of clarity in batting department, bench strength not being tested, and the fielding being below-the-par.

When questioned about the results not coming under Harmanpreet Kaur and selectors deciding to move on from her and appoint someone younger, Mithali replied by saying this is the time to change and another World Cup would be on the line if this decision is delayed even further.

“If the selectors decide to change, I would go for a young captain. This is the time (to change) if you delay more then we have another World Cup on the horizon,” she said.

“Smriti is there (has been vice-captain for long) but I think someone like Jemima, she’s 24, she’s young, she will serve you more. And someone who I feel on the field gets that energy. She speaks to everybody. I was very impressed by her in this tournament,” she added.

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At the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, India dropped 3 catches, missed a stumping and a run-out chance as Australia posted 151/8 in 20 overs, the highest total at this venue in the tournament so far.

In reply, skipper Harmanpreet Kaur’s valiant knock of 54 wasn’t enough to save the Women in Blue as they finished the group stages with 2 victories and defeats each from 4 matches.

“I think we were right in the game, right till the last over. Just that experience of Australia saw them through. Just a little disappointed with the loss. I feel we’ve fielded pretty well. But if a couple of chances could have been taken, then things could have been different. Maybe 10 -15 runs less, but at the same time, I would like to say that we put in our best effort forward in this game,” Muzumdar said after the match ended.

Muzumdar also revealed the chat that he had with Harmanpreet and Deepti Sharma who formed a partnership of 63 from 55 balls to keep India in the hunt.

“First and foremost, it was about the run-chase. Second was keeping the net run rate also in bounds. But the only message was if we take it a little deeper, then we do have a good chance to chase. That was the only message to Harman and Deepti. I think Harman’s presence was very important till the end, that is what I felt in the run chase, and almost got it through,” Muzumdar said.

With Australia entering the semi-finals from Group A, it means India’s chances of entering the last four phase are totally dependent on the New Zealand-Pakistan clash on Monday. A win for New Zealand will mean a league-stage exit for India. Muzumdar wished Pakistan the best of luck ahead of their match against the White Ferns.

“Well, I just want to wish Pakistan all the best. That’s all I can say. But we will be watching the game very closely, that’s for sure,”  Muzumdar said.

It will be interesting to see if Pakistan can come out victorious against New Zealand because if that happens then India will qualify for the semi-final stage due to their net run-rate being higher than the White Ferns.

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A fantastic over by Annabel Sutherland which saw her give away only 4 runs, restricted India to 142/9 after their 20 overs, resulting in Australia’s victory at Sharjah on Sunday.

Following the match, Harmanpreet said in the post-match presentation that the key difference between both sides was the Australian team not depending on just one or two players.

“I think their entire team contribute, they don’t depend on one or two players, they have a lot of all-rounders who contribute. We also planned well and we were there in the game. They didn’t give away easy runs and made it difficult. They are an experienced side. That is something that is not in your control, you have to always keep your playing eleven ready even when one or two player misses out,” Harmanpreet said.

“Radha bowled really well, she was in the game and she was fielding well. You need a character like that in the team who is always there. It was a chaseable total. When me and Deepti were batting, we could not hit a few loose balls. We can learn a lot from Australia. Whatever was in our hands, we were trying to do that but that is something not in our control. If we get the opportunity to play another game, that will be great. But otherwise, whoever deserves to be there, that team will be there,” Harmanpreet added.

This defeat means that now India will have to depend on arch-rivals Pakistan to pull off a result against New Zealand in their final group stage match. If that does happen, then India will make it to the semi-finals due to their higher net run-rate.

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With Australia marching into the semifinals undefeated, the defeat meant India will now have to wait for the outcome of third-placed New Zealand’s match against Pakistan on Monday.

A win for New Zealand will see them leapfrog India and finish at the second spot. India may currently have a better Net Run Rate but have the same points (4).

Renuka Singh Thakur (2/24) and Deepti Sharma (2/28) played pivotal roles in the bowling department, but Australia posted 151 for 8 after opting to bat.

While Renuka struck twice early on, Deepti grabbed the crucial wickets of Grace Harris (40) and Ellyse Perry (32) in later stages.

However, contributions from Harris, Perry, stand-in skipper Tahlia Mcgrath (32) and an important knock of 15 runs from 9 deliveries by Phoebe Litchfield guided Australia over the 150-run mark.

Shafali Verma gave India a solid start, however wasn’t able to convert her inning into a big one and departed after scoring 20 runs off 13 deliveries. Smriti Mandhana on the other hand, played a disappointing knock of 6 runs off 12 balls before getting dismissed.

India was bolstered by Harmanpreet’s fifty (54*) and her 63-run stand for the fourth wicket with Deepti Sharma (29), but they crumbled under pressure to be restricted to 142/9 in 20 overs.

With 28 needed off the last 2 overs, India took 14 off the penultimate over. Needing 14 runs from the last over, they lost as many as 4 wickets to concede the game to Australia, as Harmanpreet was stranded on the other end.

India paid the price for sloppy fielding and also leaving it too late in run chase. Only 2 fours were hit between 7.4 and the end of 14th over as Harmanpreet hit her first boundary on her 15th ball. The Women in Blue only have themselves to blame for this defeat.

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The 98-run stand between Shafali Verma (43) and Smriti (50) set the tone for the innings after India opted to bat at the Dubai International Stadium. Harmanpreet (52*) then got welcome runs in the death overs to push India past 170, the highest total of the competition so far.

Smriti, who had struggled in the tournament up till now due to the slow nature of pitches, found it tough initially before getting into the groove. Shafali coming up with regular boundaries at the other end helped Smriti settle down.

Harmanpreet was India’s star performer in the match

Both openers were dismissed off successive balls in the 13th over, bringing Jemimah Rodrigues and Harmanpreet into the middle. Harmanpreet, whose consistency has been questioned time and time again, showed that she remains India’s most belligerent batter. The Indian skipper’s knock of 52 comprised of 8 boundaries and a six.

Sri Lanka, who had got the better of India in the Asia Cup, could never really get going in the run chase and were all out for 90 in 19.5 overs. It was Sri Lanka’s third loss in as many games, effectively putting them out of the semifinals race.

Sri Lanka struggled against Indian bowlers from the get-go

Pacer Renuka Singh Thakur struck on the very first ball of the innings with substitute Radha Yadav taking a stunning catch to get rid of Vishmi Gunaratne.

Sri Lanka skipper Chamari Athapattu was the next one to depart as Shreyanka Patil had her caught at first slip for a classical off-spinner’s dismissal.

Sri Lanka were reduced to six for three when Harshitha Samrawickrama went for a flashy drive against Renuka but ended up nicking it to the wicket-keeper. Leg-spinner Asha Sobhana and pacer Arundhati Reddy then also joined the party and took 3 wickets each to increase the victory margin for their team.

India remain in contention to qualify for the semi-finals

With their second win in three games, India remain in the hunt for a last four spot from Group A. The loss to New Zealand had put a severe dent to India’s net run rate and they needed a big win to make amends, something they managed on Wednesday.

It was also India’s biggest margin of victory in the tournament history, pushing their run rate to positive from negative. India’s last group game is against the mighty Australia who definitely won’t be as easy to beat as Sri Lanka.

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