A new captain and a first-ever opponent: Smriti Mandhana's India take on Zimbabwe in a historic home series
Zimbabwe Women tour India for the first time, for three T20Is in Raipur and three ODIs in Vadodara from 16 October. It is Mandhana's first series as full-time captain, and the squads have a new look.
India Women start a new era on 16 October. Ten days after Harmanpreet Kaur stepped down, Smriti Mandhana leads India for the first time as full-time captain, against an opponent they have never met before.
Zimbabwe Women are touring India for the first time, and this is the first time the two sides will play each other in women's international cricket. The tour has three T20Is in Raipur, followed by three ODIs in Vadodara that count towards the ICC Women's Championship, the qualifying route for the next ODI World Cup.
IND-W vs ZIM-W 2026: full schedule
T20Is are night games and ODIs are day games. All times are IST.
- 1st T20I: Friday, 16 October, 7:00 PM, Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium, Raipur
- 2nd T20I: Sunday, 18 October, 7:00 PM, Raipur
- 3rd T20I: Tuesday, 20 October, 7:00 PM, Raipur
- 1st ODI: Friday, 23 October, 2:00 PM, BCA Stadium, Kotambi, Vadodara
- 2nd ODI: Sunday, 25 October, 2:00 PM, Vadodara
- 3rd ODI: Wednesday, 28 October, 2:00 PM, Vadodara
Where to watch India Women vs Zimbabwe Women
India's home matches are shown by the BCCI's broadcaster, JioStar, so expect the series on the Star Sports Network on TV and on JioHotstar for streaming. The TryBall match pages will confirm the channel and carry the live score for every game.
Mandhana's first series in charge
Mandhana is not new to captaincy. She has led India in 18 T20Is and four ODIs as Harmanpreet's deputy, winning all four ODIs, and she captained Royal Challengers Bengaluru to WPL titles in 2024 and 2026.
"To be given the responsibility of leading India is a very special honour," she said after her appointment, and she thanked Harmanpreet "for the contribution she has made as captain over the years."
Harmanpreet stays in both squads as a batter. Shafali Verma is vice-captain for the T20Is and Deepti Sharma for the ODIs.
What's new in the squads
The biggest talking point is in the T20I squad. Niki Prasad, the 20-year-old Karnataka batter, gets her first India T20I call-up after making 91, 76 and an unbeaten 54 off 31 balls for India A against Australia A. Anushka Sharma returns after three straight fifties in the same series.
Jemimah Rodrigues misses out while she recovers from a hamstring injury picked up in The Hundred.
T20I squad: Smriti Mandhana (c), Shafali Verma (vc), Niki Prasad, Harmanpreet Kaur, Anushka Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wk), G Kamalini (wk), Deepti Sharma, Prema Rawat, Sree Charani, Nandni Sharma, Kranti Gaud, Arundhati Reddy, Jintimani Kalita, Minnu Mani
ODI squad: Smriti Mandhana (c), Deepti Sharma (vc), Shafali Verma, Pratika Rawal, Harmanpreet Kaur, Harleen Deol, Tejal Hasabnis, Richa Ghosh (wk), Yastika Bhatia (wk), Vaishnavi Sharma, Nandni Sharma, Sree Charani, Kranti Gaud, Sayali Satghare, Renuka Thakur
Zimbabwe: confidence from a first
Zimbabwe have kept the same 15 who just played West Indies at home, led by Josephine Nkomo. They won the second ODI in Harare by four wickets, their first win over West Indies in the ICC Women's Championship. Beloved Biza was their top run-scorer in the ODIs, and Kelis Ndhlovu led the way in the T20Is.
Zimbabwe squad: Josephine Nkomo (c), Beloved Biza, Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano, Kelis Ndhlovu, Michelle Mavunga, Francisca Chipare, Olinder Chare, Kudzai Chigora, Nyasha Gwanzura, Nomvelo Sibanda, Loryn Phiri, Chiyedza Dhururu, Modester Mupachikwa, Tendai Makusha, Sharne Mayers
What to watch for
- How Mandhana's captaincy differs from Harmanpreet's, with Harmanpreet now playing under her.
- Whether Niki Prasad gets a debut in Raipur.
- Who fills Jemimah's spot in the middle order.
- Whether Zimbabwe can carry their West Indies form into their first games in India.
Follow the full schedule, squads and live scores for India Women on TryBall.