Having retained the majority of their squad, MI will be the team to beat given their formidable batting, but Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Delhi Capitals will be out to spoil their party.
All-round India defeat Sri Lanka by 30 runs to take 4-0 lead in women's T20Is series
After being outplayed in the opener, Harmanpreet Kaur and her team roared back with a stunning 102-run victory, which was Australia's heaviest defeat in terms of runs. It was also India's first win over them in 12 matches.
Half-centuries from Harleen Deol and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur helped India secure a four-wicket win via the DLS Method in their second ICC Women's World Cup warm-up match in Bengaluru on Saturday.
The 27-year-old Arundhati Reddy was the star of the day as she returned excellent figures of 3/19 to help India restrict Pakistan to 105 for eight.
The Indian women's cricket team will look to end a 47-year wait for its maiden ICC title when it takes the field at the ODI World Cup starting with a clash against Sri Lanka.
The Harmanpreet Kaur-led side will face South Africa on Thursday and the defending champions Australia on October 12 at the ACA-VDCA stadium in Visakhapatnam.
All-rounder Amanjot Kaur did handle pace duties with Gaud, but India missed another proper bowling option in their line-up, be it pacers Renuka Thakur and Arundhati Reddy or spinner Radha Yadav.
The seasoned duo of Meg Lanning and Sophie Devine were also among the marquee picks. Giants bought Devine for Rs 2 crore, while UP Warriorz landed Lanning for Rs 1.90 crore.
Rain forces abandonment of India's match against Bangladesh; Rawal injury scare for hosts
Kanika Ahuja, who plays for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Women's Premier League and also made her T20I debut for India earlier this year, is among the 15 women's players from India.
Shafali Verma smashed 176 runs at a strike rate of 158.56 during the T20I series against England to jump four spots to ninth place with 655 points.
Both teams began their World Cup campaigns in contrasting fashion. Hosts India defeated Sri Lanka by 59 runs, while Pakistan, collapsed against Bangladesh, losing by seven wickets in a match where they struggled against both pace and spin.
Shafali returns to T20 side for England tour, fit-again Yastika also comes back
India bowling coach Aavishkar Salvi on Saturday said wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh is being monitored by the strength and conditioning team
India pace bowler Arundhati Reddy was on Monday reprimanded for giving an aggressive send-off to Pakistan's Nida Dar during their Women's T20 World Cup contest in Dubai.
India have a mounting worry in the lack of runs so far from talismanic Smriti Mandhana, skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and the energetic Jemimah Rodrigues.
Harmanpreet Kaur's side would become the fourth team to book the semifinal berth if they get the better of the White Ferns here on the familiar mat of the DY Patil Stadium.
'This Indian team is eager to thrive in the challenging conditions and ready to write a glorious chapter in the rich history of Indian cricket, says India captain Harmanpreet Kaur.
India will have a final opportunity to check their game in pressure situation when they face Bangladesh in Navi Mumbai on Sunday in what would be a dress rehearsal ahead of the marquee Women's World Cup semifinals against Australia next Wednesday.
India will have a final opportunity to iron out any flaws, especially when responding to pressure situations, when they take on Bangladesh in their concluding fixture ahead of Women's World Cup semi-finals, in Navi Mumbai, on Sunday.
Malhotra said India will be strong contenders to land the title in the showpiece, citing the right blend of youth and experience in the Harmanpreet Kaur-led squad.
Deepti has been inside the top 10 rankings for T20I bowlers for the majority of the last six years, but the 27-year-old has never held the top position "despite the fact she has maintained great consistency in recent times."
For India, the battle is no longer about proving skill or form, but about crossing the elusive final hurdle that has so often tripped them -- including in this very tournament.
India will search for a spark of magic reminiscent of skipper Harmanpreet Kaur's legendary knock eight years ago as they take on the mighty Australia in the World Cup semi-final on Thursday.
The four dropped catches let Australia, who would be India's toughest opponents apart from England in the women's World Cup scheduled later this month, off the hook and they managed to finish the task of chasing 281 runs in double-quick time.
India women's team captain Harmanpreet Kaur, her deputy Smriti Mandhana and all-rounder Deepti Sharma were retained in Grade A, the highest category of central contracts offered by BCCI.
England beat India by eight wickets in rain-affected 2nd women''s ODI to level series 1-1
Smriti Mandhana smashed the second-fastest ODI century by an Indian woman as the hosts handed Australia their heaviest defeat -- a 102-run thrashing -- in the second ODI.
Smriti Mandhana's second-fastest hundred in women's ODIs went in vain as India's quest for a world-record chase in the series-deciding third game against Australia ended in a 43-run defeat, in New Delhi on Saturday.
India's batting faltered at the death as England held their nerves to pull off a narrow five-run win in a thrilling third women's T20 International on Friday.
Taking a dig at the controversial run-out decisions that played a big role in her team's last-ball, two-wicket defeat to Delhi Capitals, Mumbai Indians coach Charlotte Edwards said it was "really hard" to comprehend such calls that affect the eventual outcome of the match.
A historic maiden women's T20 series victory over England already assured, India failed to end the series on a high, losing the inconsequential fifth and final match by five wickets in a last-ball thriller, in Birmingham, on Saturday.
India were served well by their top order batters with each of them hitting their stride to make significant contributions, even as the middle order players did not get going.
India women will be keen to internalise the conditions and character of venues in England ahead of next year's World Cup during the five-match T20I series against the hosts, beginning with the opening game on Saturday.
Nilakshika Silva's blistering 33-ball 56 powered Sri Lanka to a thrilling three-wicket victory over India in the women's Tri-series, ending a seven-year losing streak against their rivals.
Smriti Mandhana, Ellyse Perry, Shafali Verma, Meg Lanning and Harmanpreet Kaur were some of the big names retained by their respective franchises for the next edition of the Women's Premier League.
Relentless accuracy by the bowlers, led by Radha Yadav, drove India to a comfortable 59-run victory over New Zealand in the first women's ODI in Ahmedabad on Thursday.
India's women's team will hope to produce a strong all-round effort against a tricky Sri Lanka and win the ODI tri-series final in Colombo on Sunday.
Harmanpreet, Mandhana, Jemimah hold key to India's T20 World Cup campaign
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