India’s women’s cricket team are in England for what might be the most important bilateral tour of the year. Three T20Is starting May 28 serve as the final dress rehearsal before the Women’s T20 World Cup kicks off in England and Wales next month, and a one-off Test at Lord’s in July gives both sides a rare chance to play red-ball cricket on the biggest stage in the game. It’s a series that matters well beyond just the results.
Harmanpreet Kaur leads India into the tour as the world’s No. 3 ranked T20I side, while England, ranked second, are captained by Charlie Dean with regular skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt sitting out the T20Is to recover from injury. India’s preparations have been a mixed bag. They swept Sri Lanka 5-0 at home last December and then pulled off a historic 2-1 series win in Australia, their first there in a decade. But a disappointing 4-1 loss in South Africa took some of the shine off. This England tour gives them one last shot at finding the right combinations before the World Cup opener.
India Women Tour of England 2026 Full Schedule
The tour splits into two distinct phases. The T20I leg runs from late May into early June across three different English county grounds, while the Test match at Lord’s falls in mid-July.
| Match | Date | Venue | Start Time (BST) | Start Time (IST) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st T20I | Wed, May 28, 2026 | The Ambassador Cruise Line Ground, Chelmsford | 6:00 PM | 10:30 PM |
| 2nd T20I | Sat, May 30, 2026 | Seat Unique Stadium, Bristol | 6:00 PM | 10:30 PM |
| 3rd T20I | Tue, Jun 2, 2026 | The Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton | 6:00 PM | 10:30 PM |
| Only Test | Jul 10-13, 2026 | Lord’s Cricket Ground, London | 11:00 AM | 3:30 PM |
Chelmsford, Bristol, and Taunton should provide decent batting surfaces with some movement for pace bowlers under English conditions, especially early on with the new ball. The T20I venues are all county grounds with intimate atmospheres, which tends to bring the crowd closer to the action compared to the bigger international stadiums.
The Lord’s Test is the standout fixture on the calendar. Women’s Tests at Lord’s don’t come around often, and playing there carries a significance that goes well beyond any series result. It’s the kind of occasion that players remember for the rest of their careers.
India Women Tour of England 2026 Squads
The Women in Blue have named separate squads for the T20I and Test legs of the tour, with some overlap between the two groups.
India Women T20I Squad
Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Bharti Fulmali, Deepti Sharma, Shree Charani, Arundhati Reddy, Radha Yadav, Yastika Bhatia (wk), Richa Ghosh (wk), Renuka Singh Thakur, Shreyanka Patil, Kranti Gaud, Nandni Sharma
The top order of Mandhana, Shafali, and Rodrigues is probably the most exciting trio in women’s T20 cricket right now. When all three fire on the same day, they can chase pretty much anything. Deepti Sharma adds that crucial balance in the middle overs with both bat and ball, while Richa Ghosh at the death has turned into one of the most feared finishers in the women’s game. Renuka Singh’s swing with the new ball will be a handful in English conditions.
India Women Test Squad
Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Pratika Rawal, Deepti Sharma, Harleen Deol, Sneh Rana, Sayali Satghare, Shree Charani, Yastika Bhatia (wk), Richa Ghosh (wk), Renuka Singh Thakur, Kranti Gaud, Nandni Sharma
Pratika Rawal comes into the Test squad as a specialist top-order batter who wasn’t in the T20I group. Sneh Rana’s off-spin and lower-order batting make her a natural pick for the longer format, and Harleen Deol’s addition gives India extra options in the middle order. Sayali Satghare is another bowling all-rounder who could play a role if conditions suit her style.
England Women T20I Squad
Charlotte Dean (c), Sophia Dunkley, Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Maia Bouchier, Alice Capsey, Heather Knight, Freya Kemp, Danielle Gibson, Amy Jones (wk), Lauren Bell, Tilly Corteen-Coleman, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Filer, Linsey Smith, Issy Wong
England’s squad is packed with quality. Ecclestone is the No. 1 ranked T20I bowler in the world and she’ll be the biggest threat India’s batters face on this tour. Alice Capsey’s emergence as a genuine all-rounder gives England incredible depth through the middle overs. Heather Knight’s experience steadies things even though she’s no longer captain, and Lauren Filer’s raw pace adds a dimension that most women’s teams simply don’t have. The big absentee is Sciver-Brunt, which is a significant loss, but Dean’s captaincy in the recent New Zealand series went well enough to suggest England won’t miss a beat.
How to Watch India Women vs England Women Live
Broadcast details are confirmed across all major cricket-watching regions. In the UK, the series is being broadcast live on Sky Sports Cricket and can be streamed online via the Sky Go app.
| Region | TV Channel | Live Streaming |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | Sky Sports Cricket / Sky Sports Main Event | Sky Go, NOW |
| India | Sony Sports Ten 1, Sony Sports Ten 3, Sony Sports Ten 4 | SonyLIV |
| USA / Canada | Willow TV | Willow TV, Sling TV |
| Australia | Fox Cricket (TBC) | Kayo Sports (TBC) |
| Rest of World | Check local listings | ESPNcricinfo live scorecard |
Sony Sports Network confirmed coverage will be available in English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada, which says a lot about how much the demand for women’s cricket broadcasting has grown in India over the past couple of years. UK viewers get full coverage on Sky Sports Cricket without needing any additional subscriptions beyond their standard Sky package. For fans in the US and Canada, Willow TV handles the stream, and it’s also available through Sling TV.
If you’re outside these regions and can’t find a local broadcaster, ESPNcricinfo will have live scorecards and ball-by-ball commentary for every match on the tour.
Series Context and What’s at Stake
This isn’t just another bilateral series. For India, it’s the last competitive cricket they’ll play before the Women’s T20 World Cup begins on June 12 in England and Wales. The T20I leg essentially serves as a high-pressure rehearsal in the exact conditions they’ll face at the World Cup, against one of the strongest teams they could possibly draw.
India enter the series ranked No. 3 in the ICC Women’s T20I rankings, with hosts England placed second. The head-to-head in T20Is has historically favoured England, but India’s recent results show they’re more than capable of competing at this level. That series win in Australia earlier this year was a genuine statement.
For England, it’s about building momentum on home soil. Dean is still settling into the captaincy role, and the team needs stability before the home World Cup. The absence of Sciver-Brunt creates an opportunity for players like Capsey and Gibson to step up, and how they handle that responsibility could shape England’s World Cup campaign.
The Lord’s Test in July adds another layer entirely. Women’s Test cricket remains rare enough that every match feels like an event. The Home of Cricket gives this match a historic feel even before the first ball is bowled.
Conclusion: India’s Final Tune-Up Before a Home-Conditions World Cup Starts in England
Harmanpreet Kaur’s side arrive in England with genuine momentum from their Australian series win but some lingering concerns after the South Africa tour didn’t go to plan. The three T20Is at Chelmsford, Bristol, and Taunton offer the perfect chance to iron out those issues in match conditions that’ll closely mirror what they face at the World Cup.
England under Charlie Dean are a formidable home side, and this series should tell us a lot about where both teams stand heading into the biggest tournament of the year. The Lord’s Test in July then provides a completely different challenge, one that carries its own weight regardless of what happens in the white-ball leg.
