Know Your Squad: Indian women's basketball team for SABA Women's Championship 2025

India will return to international action after a gap of two years.

The Indian women’s basketball team has been announced for the SABA Women’s Championship 2025 as they prepare to face Maldives and Nepal to lock their place in the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup. The tournament, which will mark India’s return to international action after a gap of two years, is scheduled to be held at the KD Jadhav Indoor Stadium in New Delhi from February 23 to 26.

Here we look at all the players who are going to represent the cagers in the upcoming tournament.

India’s squad members for SABA Women’s Championship 2025

Sreekala Rani (Captain)

A threat on offense, the 5’9 shooting Sreekala Rani is a force to be reckoned with because of her physicality. Rani plays from the Railways and hails from Kerala. She is coming off a strong campaign at the National Games with 16 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists. Her scoring prowess was evident at the 2022 Asian Games where she scored 16 points against North Korea in the quarterfinals.

She was also the part of 2021 FIBA Women’s Asia Cup. She led the scoring metrics in the Senior Nationals and National Games but can be prone to cold shooting, but she can pass the rock and get you steals.

Dharshini Thirunavukkarasu (Vice-captain)

The MVP of the 74th Senior Nationals Dharshini Thirunavukkarasu played a key role in the stacked Indian Railways team. The five-foot-five guard has the pass-first mentality, but she can steal the rock. Her scoring numbers were low at the Senior Nationals but when she played for Tamil Nadu in the National Games she finished among the top 10 scorers and fifth highest in assists per game.

Sathya Krishnamurthi

Sathya Krishnamurthi is a 5’7 guard from Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, who also plays for Railways. Krishnamurthi excels at scoring from the key and under the basket. She has consistently delivered for the team in both tournaments. She played around 20 minutes but in those minutes, she was highly efficient. Her lone international experience was the 2022 FIBA U18 Women’s Asian Championship.

Susan Florentina

Another Kerala representative Susan Florentina is an experienced Power Forward. She is making her debut on the international stage. The Thiruvananthapuram native lives on collecting balls off the board and can block at a high rate. She has recorded double digits in rebounding in 4 out of 12 games at Senior Nationals and National Games. A strong insider scorer, you can expect her to take charge of rebounding duties in the absence of Poonam Chaturvedi.

Aneesha Cleetus

Aneesha Cleetus plays centre for Kerala. While she didn’t feature in any of the national tournaments this year, she is one the veteran presence in the team and will take the onus of the centre position. Cleetus was part of the 2019 FIBA Women’s Olympic Pre-Qualifying Asian Tournament squad. A rebounding force under the basket she is a playmaker as well.

Also Read: India announce roster for upcoming Saba Women’s Championship 2025 in New Delhi

Manmeet Kaur

The 19-year-old 6-foot Punjabi centre will feature as a backup for Cleetus and Sanjana Ramesh. Kaur was also part of the 2022 Asian Games squad but didn’t record enough minutes to make any impact. But Kaur’s 25-point and 11-rebound performance against Karnataka in the Senior Nationals showed what she will bring to the table. Kaur was the best player efficiency-wise in the 73rd Senior Nationals. She is still a turnover-prone player and will grow as she gets more game time.

Sanjana Ramesh

A name on the list that does not need any more introduction, Sanjana Ramesh is a former NCAA player for Northern Arizona Lumberjacks. The Chennai-born is the key player for Karnataka and one of the best women players in India. Ramesh featured in the 2022 Asian Games squad and was the top scorer against China. She led in total points, and rebounds per game and steals at the National Games.

Harshitha Kelttira Bopaiah

Harshitha Bopaiah is another debutant in this team, the Karnataka baller stands at 5’9 ft and plays power forward. She was India’s best player at the 2018 FIBA U-18 Women’s Asian Championship with 14.8 points and 11.2 rebounds. Since then, she has been part of the Indian Railways setup. While her numbers in the recent Senior Nationals might not be big, she was one of the best players efficiency-wise in the 73rd Senior Nationals in Ludhiana.

Krithika Sureshbabu

A young Center with just 5’11 in height, Krithika Sureshbabu, is making her senior team debut at this tournament. She has consistently scored in double digits for the powerhouse Tamil Nadu. She scored 27 points against Madhya Pradesh showing she can generate points if the rock is given to her.

Sruthy Rathinavel

Sruthy Rathinavel hails from Madurai, she represented India at the 2022 Asian Games where she shined against Indonesia scoring 11 points and grabbing 114 rebounds. The 6-foot center hasn’t played enough as she is another backup player for Tamil Nadu, but she can grab boards and score points if given more time.

Harima Sundari Munishkannan

A young power forward who comes from Tamil Nadu with 5’9 height, Harima Sundari Munishkannan, will be lower in the pecking order. With tough competition in her position, she might be deployed as a small forward. Harima can pick pockets and generate steals and can be reliable with the ball. Sundari had a massive 22-point game against Delhi in the 73rd Senior Nationals with 62.5% FG%.

Divyani Gangwal

Divyani Gangwal was one of the best scorers at the 74th Senior Nationals. A 5’9 shooting guard, she defined her position while playing for Chhattisgarh. Gangwal had a massive against Kerela on the first day, scoring 25 points and playing a full 40 minutes.

She is strong from the charity stripe as well. One area of concern is her FG% which has been below 40 indicating she takes a lot of her own shots which has to reduce. She can rebound the ball and had four doubles in the same tournament.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram