Arch rivals India and Pakistan will begin their campaign at the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 with a face-off at Edgbaston in Birmingham on Sunday.
The 12 teams vying for the Women's T20 World Cup have been split into two groups of six. Group 1 consists of Australia, Bangladesh, India, the Netherlands, Pakistan and South Africa, while Group 2 includes England, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland, Sri Lanka and the West Indies. During the group stage, each team will play the other five sides in its group once, with the top two teams from each group progressing to the semi-finals.
India and Pakistan are both still chasing their first Women's T20 World Cup title and the form of these two teams heading into the tournament has been far from ideal.
India's best performance in the tournament came in 2020, when they reached the final in Australia before finishing as runners-up. The Harmanpreet Kaur-led side will enter the World Cup with confidence after lifting the ODI World Cup on home soil last year.
India began their preparations on a positive note by securing a T20I series victory over Australia away from home. However, they were brought back down to earth with a heavy 1-4 defeat in a five-match series in South Africa. Their final tune-up ahead of the World Cup also ended in disappointment, as they lost a three-match T20I series 1-2 to co-hosts England.
In the 17 years of competition's existence, Pakistan has never managed to reach the semi-final stage of the tournament. On the ICC rankings, the team is placed eighth. This year, Pakistan pulled-off a surprise win over South Africa in South Africa, but the team lost the series 1-2. They then beat Zimbabwe 3-0 before losing two of the four games they played as a part of the tri-nation series in Ireland.
T20 World Cup Squads
- India: Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), Smriti Mandhana (vice-capt), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wk), Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh, Kranti Gaud, Shree Charani, Shreyanka Patil, Bharti Fulmali, Yastika Bhatia (wk), Nandani Sharma, Radha Yadav.
- Pakistan: Fatima Sana (capt), Aliya Riaz, Ayesha Zafar, Diana Baig, Eyman Fatima, Gull Feroza, Iram Javed, Muneeba Ali (wk), Nashra Sundhu, Natalia Pervaiz, Rameen Shamim, Sadia Iqbal, Saira Jabeen, Tasmia Rubab, Tuba Hassan
Possible Playing 11
- Pakistan: Muneeba Ali, Gull Feroza, Ayesha Zafar, Saira Jabeen, Rameen Shamim, Aliya Riaz, Fatima Sana, Eyman Fatima, Tuba Hassan, Nashra Sandhu, Sadia Iqbal
- India: Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh, Arundhati Reddy, Kranti Gaud, Shree Charani, Nandani Sharma.
Players to Watch
Smriti Mandhana (India): Earlier this year she guided Royal Challengers Bengaluru to the Women's Premier League title in which she was also the leading run scorer. The left-handed opener was the engine of India's batting during their successful campaign at the ODI World Cup last year.
Fatima Sana (Pakistan): Fatima Sana is Pakistan's most dynamic player. She bats, she bowls and also leads the team. Earlier this year, she scored the quickest fifty by a Pakistani batter in T20Is. She is a complete match winner.
Match Time
The match gets underway at 7 p.m. Indian Standard Time.
Broadcast Details
The match will be broadcasted on the Star Sports television channels.
LIVE Stream Details
The match will be streamed LIVE on the JioHotStar app and website.
ALSO READ: FIFA World Cup 2026 Live Streaming: Zee5 Limits Subscription To One Device Despite Backlash
Essential Business Intelligence, Continuous LIVE TV, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.