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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Coming to the match, India posted a massive total of 358 after Harmanpreet Kaur had won the toss and opted to bowl first. Harleen Doel scored her maiden international century whereas Smriti Mandhana, Pratika Rawal, and Jemimah Rodrigues scored half-centuries.

In reply, Hayley Matthews became the first female West Indies player in history to have scored a century against India in ODIs, but could not get enough support from teammates as the visitors got bowled out for 243.

The total of 358 was the joint-highest total by India in history of Women’s ODI cricket, as they have matched the same score against Ireland at Potchefstroom in 2017. This also marks the first time India crossing the 350-run mark in an ODI match at home.

Last week, India set a total of 217 against West Indies at Navi Mumbai. It was also the highest ever score mad in the game since 2016 World Champions in the shortest form of the game.

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The franchise made open offer on Uttarakhand leg-spinner Prema Rawat, as they bought her for a massive sum of Rs 1.20 crore in the WPL 2025 auction. Apart from that, RCB also secured Joshita VJ, Raghvi Bist, and Jagravi Pawar.

The Bengaluru-based franchise had a budget of Rs. 3.25 crore, and they retained 14 players before the mini-auction.

Players bought by OCB in WPL 2025 Auction:

1. Prema Rawat (IND) – Rs. 1.20 crore
2. Joshitha VJ (IND) – Rs. 10 lakh
3. Raghvi Bist (IND) – Rs. 10 lakh
4. Jagravi Pawar (IND) – Rs. 10 lakh

RCB’s complete squad:
Smriti Mandhana (c), Sabbineni Meghana, Richa Ghosh, Ellyse Perry, Georgia Wareham, Shreyanka Patil, Asha Sobhana, Sophie Devine, Renuka Singh, Sophie Molineux, Ekta Bisht, Kate Cross, Kanika Ahuja, Danni Wyatt (traded), Prema Rawat (Rs. 1.20 crore), Joshitha VJ (Rs. 10 lakh), Raghvi Bist (Rs. 10 lakh),  Jagravi Pawar (Rs. 10 lakh)

Players retained by RCB before WPL 2025 auction:
Smriti Mandhana, Ellyse Perry, Georgia Wareham, Kate Cross, Danielle Wyatt-Hodge, Asha Sobhana, Ekta Bisht, Kanika Ahuja, Renuka Singh, Richa Ghosh, Sabbhineni Meghana, Shreyanka Patil, Sophie Devine, Sophie Molineux

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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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5) Bangladesh Women

The Bangladesh women team sits at the bottom of the list with not even being over 400 runs. The team has registered 372 runs in 17 innings.

4) South Africa Women

South African women are just above the 400-run mark against Indian attack. They have scored 406 runs in 17 innings.

3) Sri Lankan Women

India’s neighbouring island nation sits at the middle of the list with 429 runs in 20 innings.

2) England Women

England team is just below the top spot as they are just a few runs short of securing the top place. They have scored 724 runs in 21 innings.

1) Australia Women

The Australian women team tops the list with the most runs, as they have scored 731 runs in 25 innings.

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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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The families of every player on the team had sent heartwarming videos wishing them good luck.

As everyone watched the videos with pride, Smriti Mandhana appeared to get teary eyes as she watched her brother and parents wish them good luck.

Smriti’s brother even went on to tease her and gave advice on how she needs to handle pressure during the tournament.

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1. Mithali Raj – 726 runs

The former Indian captain played some really important innings for the team in the prestigious T20I tournament. She scored a total of 5 half-centuries and her highest score in the ICC tournament is 57.

2. Harmanpreet Kaur – 576 runs

The current Indian captain has been a very important player for the Women in Blue and has scored lots of runs in the tournament. Harmanpreet has 2 half-centuries and a century under her name and has a highest score of 103 in the T20I tournament.

3. Smriti Mandhana – 449 runs

The dominant opener has become one of India’s most important players in recent times and has provided the Women in Blue with some fantastic starts. Mandhana has scored 3 half-centuries in the tournament with her highest score being that of 87.

4. Punam Raut – 375 runs

Punam has turned out to be quite an important player for India especially in ICC tournaments. Not only does she have close to 400 runs in the T20I tournament, she also has scored 3 half-centuries. Her highest score in the tournament is 56.

5. Jemimah Rodrigues – 339 runs

Rodrigues has given great contributions to the Indian team while batting in the middle-order. So far, she has scored 2 half-centuries in the tournament and her highest score is 59.

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