India and Pakistan are set to face each other once again in the Women’s Asia Cup 2026, with the Indian team entering the contest as the overwhelming favourite after another strong start to the tournament.
India have already secured their place in the semifinals after winning their opening two matches convincingly. They defeated Thailand by 94 runs before registering a massive 137-run victory over Hong Kong China.
Pakistan, meanwhile, have played only one match so far and remain in contention for a place in the knockout stage. Their final group-stage fixture against Hong Kong will play an important role in determining their progress.
Despite the traditional hype surrounding an India-Pakistan encounter, India’s record against their neighbours has been overwhelmingly dominant in women’s cricket. India have never lost an ODI against Pakistan and have won 14 of the 17 T20 matches played between the two sides.
In the Women’s Asia Cup T20 format, India also hold a commanding 5-1 record against Pakistan.
India will enter the match looking to continue that dominance, although their middle-order batting remains an area of concern. Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma have been India's standout performers with the bat in the tournament so far.
Mandhana has scored 143 runs, while Shafali has contributed 92. However, the gap between the opening pair and the rest of the batting unit has been noticeable.
India suffered a dramatic collapse against Thailand after their openers provided a strong foundation, losing eight wickets for only 46 runs. Against Hong Kong China, Mandhana dominated the scoring while the batters from No. 3 to No. 7 collectively managed only 34 runs.
The Indian management will hope for greater contributions from the middle order, which includes Harmanpreet Kaur, Richa Ghosh and Deepti Sharma, ahead of the knockout stage.
Pakistan have faced similar problems with their batting. They managed 119 for nine against Thailand before their bowlers helped secure the result. However, Pakistan will hope their experience of playing on slower surfaces earlier this year can help them produce a stronger performance against India.
Spin is expected to play a major role in Dubai's conditions.
For India, Deepti Sharma has taken six wickets in the tournament, while Sree Charani has picked up four. Young leg-spinner Prema Rawat has also impressed after making the most of her opportunities in the competition.
Pakistan's spin department will be equally important. Sadia Iqbal, Tuba Hassan and Nashra Sandhu were instrumental in Pakistan's victory over Thailand, taking six of the eight wickets that fell.
Nashra Sandhu could pose a particular challenge for India's middle order. The left-arm spinner has enjoyed success against India in previous T20 encounters and has dismissed several key Indian batters.
The Dubai surface has so far favoured teams chasing. Six of the first seven matches in the tournament were won by teams that chased their targets, while spin bowlers have been significantly more effective than pace bowlers.
Spin has accounted for 71 wickets in the tournament at an economy rate of 5.1, compared to 31 wickets for pacers at an economy rate of 6.18.
The weather is also expected to test both teams, with hot and humid conditions forecast in Dubai. Temperatures could be around 37 degrees Celsius at the start of the match.
India and Pakistan will face each other at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on September 5, with the match scheduled to begin at 8 PM IST.
The match will be broadcast live on the Sony Sports Network and can be streamed online through SonyLIV.
Predicted India XI: Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Pratika Rawal, Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Richa Ghosh (wicketkeeper), Bharti Fulmali, Deepti Sharma, Prema Rawat, Kranti Gaud, N Shree Charani, Nandani Sharma.
Predicted Pakistan XI: 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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