India vs Pakistan Women's Asia Cup 2026: Everything you need to know about the epic showdown

Dubai: India vs Pakistan is a fixture that need no introduction. The intensity of the match and hype around it can rarely be matched by any other contest. As both teams face each other in the Group A encounter at the 2026 Women’s Asia Cup, let’s look at the history of both the teams in the tournament.

India is by far the biggest team in the Asia Cup history. The Women in Blue have reached the finals in every edition of the tournament since 2004 and have won it 7 times. While India have been part of all nine editions of Asia Cup, Pakistan did not compete in the first ever tournament which eventually turned into India vs Sri Lanka ODI series.

A year later, Pakistan hosted the 2005 Women’s Asia Cup. Both teams faced each other twice that year, with India dominating both the games. The Asia Cup remained a 50-over format until 2008, during which India maintained a winning streak against their arch-rivals. They won all 6 games in the longer format against the Pakistani side.

When the format shifted to T20 cricket in 2012, Pakistan was a much-improved side. Yet it wasn’t enough to defeat the dominating Indian squad who defeated them once in the Group Stage and again in the Finals. The series of losses continued for the Women in Green in 2016 and 2018 until they finally defeated India for the first time in the 2022 Asia Cup Group Stage.

The current head-to-head record in the tournament remains 12-1, with India dominating the fixture. The Women in Green hope to win their first Asia Cup title in the Emirati capital. Pakistan has some strong talents who could prove to be impactful.

Pakistan’s Sadia Iqbal opened the 2026 Asia Cup with two wickets in the first over against Thailand. The left arm spinner could be threat to India’s batting side as she has already dismissed Shafali Verma and Bharti Fumali during their last T20I encounter in Birmingham, England. The Pakistani captain Fatima Sana also has 41 wickets to her name in 50 T20I appearances. But the biggest threat for the Women in Blue remains the Pakistani opener Muneeba Ali.

She started her 2026 Asia Cup campaign with half century. Meanwhile, India’s opening batting lineup is perhaps one of the strongest duos in all of women’s cricket. Smriti Mandhana and Verma’s consistency have helped the team win most games. In the last match against Hong Kong, Mandhana’s 124 runs in 64 balls helped her become the highest run-scorer in women’s international cricket.

Moreover, Deepti Sharma has always been a problem for Pakistan. The Indian all-rounder recorded 5/10 in the last game against the neighboring nation, earning herself the Player of the Match honor in Birmingham. She also recorded six wickets in the first two games against Thailand and Hong Kong as she aims to continue her hot form against Pakistan.

With both teams undefeated in the tournament, the contest will surely have everyone tuning in. The Group A match will commence from 18:30 GST at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. The match can be watched on the Cricbuzz app and website or even on the Starzplay app in the UAE region.

Fans in India can watch the game on Sony LIV app or even Sony Sports Ten channels while Pakistani residents can tune in to the match live via PTV Sports or use the Tamasha app for streaming it online.

Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Shafali Verma, Bharti Fulmali, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wk), G Kamalini (wk), Arundhati Reddy, Prema Rawat, Radha Yadav, Sree Charani, Renuka Thakur, Nandni Sharma, Kranti Gaud, Pratika Rawal.

Fatima Sana (c), Ayesha Zafar, Eman Naseer, Eyman Fatima, Gull Feroza, Momina Riasat, Muneeba Ali Siddiqui (wk), Nashra Sundhu, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal, Saira Jabeen, Shawaal Zulfiqar, Tuba Hassan, Umm-e-Hani, Waheeda Akhtar.