Women’s CPL 2026: Indian Stars Shine in Overseas Squads
The Women’s CPL has nailed down its overseas rosters for 2026, and India sit right at the heart of the story.
Four India internationals – Pooja Vastrakar, Kiran Navgire, Yastika Bhatia and Shikha Pandey – have been snapped up across three franchises, underlining just how aggressively the Caribbean league is chasing proven WPL and international pedigree.
Champions reload with Indian firepower
Defending champions Barbados Tridents have moved first and moved boldly.
Pooja Vastrakar, who turned out in a couple of games for RCB in WPL 2026, will wear Tridents colours this season. Her all-round package – new-ball nip, lower-order power – fits neatly into a side that already knows how to close tournaments.
She won’t be the lone Indian in that dressing room. Big-hitting batter Kiran Navgire joins her, adding raw muscle to a batting line-up that also features New Zealand stalwarts Suzie Bates and Maddy Green.
Experience, explosiveness, versatility. Barbados have made their intentions brutally clear.
TKR double down on experience
Trinbago Knight Riders have gone back to a trusted hand.
Seamer Shikha Pandey, who has previously featured for TKR in the WCPL, returns for the 2026 edition, giving the side a reliable, thinking bowler with a history of delivering in Caribbean conditions.
Alongside her, Yastika Bhatia checks in for her first taste of the competition. The left-handed wicketkeeper-batter brings a calm presence at the crease and sharp hands behind the stumps, a combination that should stabilise TKR’s middle order and their fielding unit.
TKR have not stopped there. Their overseas group has been significantly reinforced by South Africa’s world-class allrounder Marizanne Kapp and Australian pair Laura Harris and Madeline Penna. It’s a squad built to challenge deep into September, stacked with players who know how to win tight games.
New kids, big names: Jamaica Express arrive
There’s a new badge in town. Jamaica Express enter the league with a marquee signing that needs no introduction.
Meg Lanning, one of the most decorated captains in the women’s game, will play in the WCPL for the first time in her career. For a new franchise to land a name of that stature sends a message to the rest of the competition: they are not here to ease their way in.
Lanning is joined by Ireland’s Amy Hunter, South Africa’s Nonku Mlaba, Pakistan’s Syeda Aroob Shah and New Zealand seamer Rosemary Mair. It’s a blend of youth, variety and leadership, anchored by a batter who has spent a career dictating terms on the biggest stages.
South African steel for Guyana, and a quiet comeback
Guyana Amazon Warriors have leaned heavily on South African steel.
Tazmin Brits, Nadine de Klerk, Chloe Tyron and Shabnim Ismail form a formidable overseas core, with pace, power and aggression running right through that quartet. Only Brits is new to the tournament; the rest arrive with WCPL knowledge and the scars and smarts that come with it.
Australia’s Erin Burns also joins the Warriors, marking a notable return to a major competition after last featuring in international cricket seven years ago. For a player of her experience, this is a fresh stage and a timely opportunity.
Barbados in the spotlight
All roads now lead to Kensington Oval.
The 2026 Women’s CPL will kick off on September 5, with every match – including the final on September 17 – staged in Barbados. One venue, twelve days, a cluster of global stars and a growing Indian presence at the centre of it all.
The overseas lists are set. The question now is simple: whose gamble in the market will translate into a trophy under the Caribbean lights?
