Harleen Deol’s absence from India’s Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 squad has been traced to a straightforward middle-order call, with selection committee chair Amita Sharma stating that Bharti Fulmali was viewed as the stronger fit for the role. India named a 15-player group on Saturday, led by Harmanpreet Kaur as captain and Smriti Mandhana as vice-captain, while Deol missed out on the T20 tournament despite being included in the Test squad—highlighting that the decision was driven by format-specific planning.
Key takeaways
- Amita Sharma said India had only one middle-order slot available for the T20 World Cup.
- Fulmali was preferred over Harleen Deol for that specific position in the T20 setup.
- Deol was left out of the Women’s T20 World Cup squad but was named in India’s Test squad.
- During WPL 2026, Harleen Deol retired out in a chase situation and then followed it with a match-winning unbeaten 64 against Mumbai Indians.
- Despite her WPL comeback, Deol’s selection prospects for T20 remained behind Fulmali in the committee’s view.
How the squad was shaped for T20 cricket
India unveiled their 15-member squad for the Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 on Saturday. Harmanpreet Kaur will captain the side, with Smriti Mandhana taking up the vice-captaincy. Harleen Deol, who had been part of India’s ODI World Cup-winning environment last year, was not included in the T20 World Cup squad. However, she did earn a place in the Test squad, making the selection clearly dependent on which format India were selecting for.
WPL 2026 momentum—and why it still didn’t sway the T20 call
The discussion around Deol’s omission had been building on a notable sequence from WPL 2026. In a match against Delhi Capitals, UP Warriorz used a tactical retirement when Deol was on 47 off 36 balls, with three overs remaining in a chase of 158. Such retirements are uncommon in cricket, so the move became one of the tournament’s talking points.
Deol responded the following day with a decisive innings. Against the Mumbai Indians, she struck an unbeaten 64 off 39 deliveries, smashing 12 fours, and helped UP Warriorz register their first victory of the season. She also received Player of the Match recognition for that performance. Even with that strong comeback, the committee’s thinking for the T20 World Cup did not shift the balance in her favour.
Amita Sharma’s explanation for leaving Harleen out
When asked directly why Deol was left out, Amita Sharma framed it as a single-slot decision in the middle order. She said the selectors felt Fulmali offered a slightly better option for that role within India’s T20 plans.
Sharma’s response made the reasoning explicit: India had one middle-order slot to consider, and the panel believed Fulmali fit that position better. She also underlined the difference between formats, noting that Deol remains part of India’s broader plans for Tests, but that for T20s the selectors rated Fulmali more highly.
“Harleen ek middle-order mein hamare paas jo slot tha, toh I think mujhe lagta hai ki aur meri team ko bhi ye lagta hai ki Fulmali thoda better option tha,” Sharma said, stressing that the choice came down to the middle-order slot where Fulmali was seen as the stronger alternative.
She added that Deol’s inclusion in the Test squad reflected India’s long-term scheme for her, while the immediate requirement for T20 cricket pointed elsewhere: “Harleen obviously hamari scheme of things mein hai aur usko hum Test ke liye humne rakha hai. Lekin abhi T20 ke liye Fulmali thoda better option.”
Fulmali’s rise and Deol’s T20I record
Fulmali’s selection followed a sharper push for the short format. She returned to India’s T20I set-up earlier this year and built her case through WPL performances. Her recent numbers in the league gave India an option in the middle order that could add a more aggressive edge in matches.
Deol, meanwhile, faced a tougher backdrop in terms of her overall T20I output. Her T20I record stands at 298 runs across 26 matches, at an average of 17.53, with one half-century. The selectors also weighed the fact that she had not been a consistent presence in India’s T20 plans for a long stretch.
In the end, the message was delivered in a courteous but clear manner: Deol was in consideration for the middle-order space, but India ultimately went with Fulmali for the Women’s T20 World Cup 2026.
