Dubai, September 5, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat first against India in their Group A clash of the 2026 Women’s Asia Cup at the Dubai International Stadium on Saturday.
Both teams retained the same playing XIs from their respective previous matches in the continental tournament.
India have won nine of their last 10 T20Is against Pakistan, with Pakistan’s only victory during this period coming in the 2022 Asia Cup.
Harmanpreet Kaur’s India have already secured a place in the semifinals after victories over Thailand and Hong Kong-China.
The match is also a milestone for Harmanpreet, who has become the first player in international cricket, male or female, to captain a side in 150 T20Is. Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu is second on the list with 121 matches as captain.
“Definitely happy to be chasing. Our bowling is doing great in this tournament, and it’s good getting the opportunity to bowl first,” Harmanpreet said after the toss.
She said India’s approach while chasing would be to give themselves time before playing their attacking shots, adding that the team had executed that plan well in its opening two matches.
Reflecting on her captaincy milestone, Harmanpreet said it was a “great achievement” but stressed the importance of continuing to enjoy the game. She added that India would look to restrict Pakistan to a manageable total and chase it without pressure.
Pakistan, who began their campaign with a win over Thailand, need a strong showing ahead of their final group-stage match against Hong Kong-China as they look to strengthen their semifinal qualification prospects.
“We’re gonna bat first because we want to put a maximum total here. Because we know we have a good bowling side, so we will try to restrict them. We had a good chat with the team, and we just want to play according to the pitch,” Pakistan captain Fatima Sana said.
Playing XIs
India: Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Pratika Rawal, Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Bharti Fulmali, Richa Ghosh (wicketkeeper), Deepti Sharma, Prema Rawat, Nandani Sharma, Sree Charani, Kranti Gaud.
Pakistan: Muneeba Ali (wicketkeeper), Shawaal Zulfiqar, Gull Feroza, Ayesha Zafar, Sadaf Shamas, Fatima Sana (captain), Umm-e-Hani, Eyman Fatima, Tuba Hassan, Nashra Sandhu, Sadia Iqbal.
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