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Asian Games 2026: From Harmanpreet to Smriti Mandhana, 5 players from India's 2023 gold-winning cricket squad return
Five players from India's 2023 Asian Games squad have retained their places in the women's cricket team for the 2026 edition in Aichi-Nagoya.
India will begin their women's cricket campaign at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, as defending champions, with several members of the gold-medal-winning 2023 squad returning for another shot at continental glory.
India won the women's cricket gold medal at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, beating Sri Lanka by 19 runs in the final. The tournament marked India's first appearance in Asian Games cricket.
Three years later, the squad has undergone considerable change. However, five players from India's 2023 squad are part of the final 2026 squad: Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma and Richa Ghosh.
Harmanpreet Kaur remains the captain of India's Asian Games side, just as she was in 2023. She led India to gold in Hangzhou, with the team beating Sri Lanka in the final.
The 37-year-old is again at the helm for the 2026 campaign and is one of the most experienced members of the squad. Harmanpreet's presence also provides continuity between India's two Asian Games title campaigns.
Smriti Mandhana was Harmanpreet's deputy in India's 2023 Asian Games squad and retains the same role in 2026.
The left-handed opener was central to India's batting effort in the 2023 final against Sri Lanka, scoring 46 before India finished with 116/7. Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues had put together a 73-run partnership during India's innings. India eventually won the match by 19 runs.
Shafali Verma is another member of both squads. The explosive opener was part of India's title-winning team in 2023 and has retained her place for the 2026 Games.
She also featured in the 2023 final against Sri Lanka, although she was dismissed for nine runs. Her ability to provide a fast start remains an important part of India's batting options.
Deepti Sharma was part of India's 2023 Asian Games squad and returns for the 2026 edition.
The all-rounder brings continuity to both the batting and bowling groups. She was among the players selected in India's original 2023 squad and is again included in the 15-member team for the 2026 tournament.
Richa Ghosh completes the list of five returning players. The wicketkeeper-batter was India's designated wicketkeeper in the 2023 squad and retains her place for the 2026 Games. She was selected as the wicketkeeper in the original Hangzhou squad and is again listed among India's wicketkeepers in 2026, alongside G. Kamalini.
PN Vishnu is a contributor with the LiveMint Sports team, where he primarily covers cricket, football and other major sporting events. A passionate sports journalist with nearly a decade of experience in digital media, Vishnu has been an ardent follower of sports for more than 10 years. While he enjoys covering a wide range of disciplines, his biggest sporting passions remain cricket and football. He is also a devoted supporter of Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Indian Premier League and Manchester United in English football. <br><br> Vishnu pursued a Post Graduate Diploma in Journalism from the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), Chennai, in 2016 and graduated in 2017. Since then, he has built an extensive career in sports journalism, working with leading media organisations including Deccan Chronicle and Firstpost. In 2025, he worked for CricXtasy for six months before joining LiveMint in February 2026. <br><br> Over the years, he has reported extensively on marquee sporting events such as the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the Indian Super League (ISL). His reporting has also provided opportunities to interact with some of the game's leading personalities, including India cricketers Yuzvendra Chahal and Dhruv Jurel. <br><br> Away from the newsroom, Vishnu enjoys unwinding with books, discovering new music and binge-watching television series.