Mumbai, May 23 (IANS) The Indian women’s team was spotted at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) as they jetted off to the United Kingdom for their tour of England, followed by the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, which will be hosted by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) starting June 12.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the squads earlier this month, on May 2, via a press conference at their headquarters here. The press meet was addressed by skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, chief selector Amita Sharma and secretary Devajit Saikia. Before addressing the media, the women’s selection committee held a meeting to finalise the squad, where Harmanpreet and head coach Amol Muzumdar were also present.

The Women in Blue will play three T20Is against England from May 28 to June 2, which will serve as a preparatory series for both teams ahead of the marquee event. Once all the teams assemble in the UK, they’ll begin their preparations for the 12-team T20 World Cup by playing the warm-up fixtures, starting June 6.

Harmanpreet Kaur and Co are placed in a tough Group B alongside Australia, South Africa, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and the Netherlands.

India will play two warm-up games. They’ll face the West Indies at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff, before taking on hosts England at the County Ground in Derby. The reigning ODI champions will kick off their T20 World Cup campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan on June 14.

After their clash against Pakistan, India will face the Netherlands on June 17 at Headingley in Leeds. The team will then lock horns against South Africa and Bangladesh on June 21 and 25, respectively, at Old Trafford in Manchester. For their last group fixture, the Women in Blue will travel to London to face Australia on June 28 at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground.

India squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Smriti Mandhana (vice-captain), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wk), Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Thakur, Kranti Gaud, Sree Charani, Shreyanka Patil, Bharti Fulmali, Yastika Bhatia (wk), Nandni Sharma and Radha Yadav

–IANS

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