Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
India will once again be among the teams to watch at the Women’s T20 World Cup 2026, scheduled to take place from June 12 to July 5. Fresh from winning the ODI World Cup last year on home soil, Harmanpreet Kaur’s side enters the tournament with high expectations.
The squad boasts proven match-winners such as Harmanpreet, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma and Richa Ghosh, while the team recently kick-started its World Cup preparations with a convincing warm-up victory over the West Indies.
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However, India are not the only team carrying Indian connections into the tournament. Several players of Indian origin representing other nations are expected to make a significant impact on cricket’s biggest T20 stage.
As the tournament unfolds in England and Wales, these Indian-origin stars could play pivotal roles for their respective teams, adding another intriguing subplot to the competition and highlighting the growing influence of the Indian diaspora in women’s cricket.
Here are the Indian origin stars to watch out for in Women’s T20 World Cup 2026
Alana King (Australia)
Alana King’s rise to the top of world cricket is also a story of heritage and identity. Born in Melbourne, King is the daughter of Sharon and Leroy King, Anglo-Indians whose roots trace back to Chennai. Her father moved to Australia in the 1980s, and King has often spoken about the strong influence her Indian heritage has had on both her life and cricketing journey.
She has visited India on several occasions to meet family and has described playing in the country as a special experience because of her family’s connection to Chennai.
Since making her international debut in 2022, King has established herself as one of Australia’s premier spinners. Renowned for her control, sharp turn and wicket-taking ability, the leg-spinner played a key role in Australia’s triumphant 2022 Women’s ODI World Cup campaign and has since become a regular across all three formats.
In six Tests, 53 ODIs and 30 T20Is, she has claimed 132 wickets, including four five-wicket hauls. King is also more than a handy batter, as she demonstrated with an unbeaten 51 against Pakistan in the Women’s ODI World Cup last year.
During the 2024-25 Women’s Ashes Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Alana King produced a sensational delivery to dismiss Sophia Dunkley that drew widespread comparisons with Shane Warne’s famous ‘Ball of the Century’ to Mike Gatting in 1993. The comparison was particularly fitting given that Warne has long been King’s cricketing idol.
Heading into the Women’s T20 World Cup, King is expected to be one of Australia’s trump cards. English conditions have increasingly rewarded quality spin, and her ability to deceive batters through flight, variation and turn could prove invaluable.
Nensi Patel (New Zealand)
Nensi Patel’s rise to international cricket is a story that spans two countries. Born in Karamdi village in Gujarat’s Bharuch district, Patel moved to New Zealand with her family when she was just six years old. Cricket was already a part of her life in India, where she would play with friends in her village, but her journey truly gathered momentum after arriving in New Zealand.
Her father, Hitesh Patel, played a key role in nurturing her talent, often taking her to training sessions and spending hours with her at the nets. Patel has frequently spoken about the sacrifices made by her family and the pride they take in her achievements.
Earlier this year, Patel created history by becoming the first Indian-born cricketer to represent the New Zealand women’s team during the T20I series against Zimbabwe. Patel herself described it as a proud moment not only for her parents watching from the stands but also for relatives back in India.
Patel was the leading wicket-taker in New Zealand’s premier domestic one-day competition in 2021-22, a performance that earned her a national contract. Since breaking into the White Ferns setup, Patel has played seven ODIs and six T20Is, in which he has taken 14 wickets.
Heading into the Women’s T20 World Cup, Patel could play an important role in New Zealand’s title defence. For a player who began her journey in a small village in Gujarat before making history for New Zealand, a strong World Cup campaign would be another remarkable chapter in an already inspiring story.
Priyanaz Chatterji (Scotland)
Priyanaz Chatterji’s cricketing journey is a unique blend of Scottish upbringing and Indian heritage. Born in Dundee to Indian Bengali economist Monojit Chatterji, she is among the most prominent cricketers of Indian origin to represent Scotland.
Although she grew up in Scotland and spent part of her youth in Australia, her Indian roots have remained an important part of her identity. Chatterji began playing cricket at the age of six with Forfarshire Cricket Club and progressed rapidly through Scotland’s age-group pathway before breaking into the senior national side as a teenager.
A right-handed batter and right-arm medium-pace bowler, Chatterji has become one of Scotland’s most experienced all-rounders. She has represented Surrey, Wellington Blaze, Central Districts and South East Stars during her career, gaining valuable experience in some of the strongest domestic competitions in the world.
Her versatility has made her a key member of the Scotland side, while her performances during the Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier helped Scotland secure qualification for the 2026 tournament. She scored 119 runs at an average of 59.50 and also claimed six wickets during the qualifying campaign.
Heading into the Women’s T20 World Cup, Chatterji’s experience could prove invaluable for Scotland. Her ability to contribute with both bat and ball gives captain Kathryn Bryce an additional option in pressure situations.
Having played domestic cricket in England, Australia and New Zealand, she is also familiar with varying conditions. If Chatterji can replicate her qualifier form on the global stage, she could play a crucial role in helping Scotland challenge more established nations and potentially spring a few surprises during the tournament.
Sanya Khurana (Netherlands)
Sanya Khurana is among the emerging faces of Dutch women’s cricket and a prominent example of the growing influence of the Indian diaspora in the game. Of Indian heritage, Khurana grew up in the Netherlands in a family with strong cricketing roots. Her father and brother were heavily involved in the sport and played a major role in shaping her cricketing journey.
Before committing herself fully to cricket, Khurana was also a talented tennis player, with the athleticism gained from that sport helping her development as a cricketer.
The 21-year-old batter has steadily progressed through the Dutch system and was part of the Netherlands side that secured a historic qualification for the 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup, the country’s first appearance at the tournament. Alongside her cricket career, Khurana is studying BSc Business Management in Marketing at Cardiff University in Wales, balancing academics with elite-level sport.
A right-handed batter who can also contribute with medium pace, Khurana has built a reputation as a dependable top-order player. One of her best recent performances came during the World Cup Qualifier, where she struck an unbeaten 43 against Bangladesh. In 25 T20Is, Khurana has scored 177 runs at an average of 17.70 and a strike-rate of 100.
The Women’s T20 World Cup offers Khurana the biggest stage of her career. For a player with Indian roots representing the Netherlands, a strong tournament could not only help her team compete against the sport’s elite but also further highlight the increasingly global footprint of women’s cricket.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
