Women's Asia Cup 2026 | IND W vs PAK W | Preview and Predictions
Two wins from two games and in red hot form, Harmanpreet Kaur’s India look to head into the Playoffs with a flawless record and before that they have arch-rivals Pakistan waiting for them in the blockbuster Group A encounter at the Women’s Asia Cup 2026. India have won four out of the last five T20I encounters between both teams and will be looking to extend that run while Pakistan will be aiming to set the score straight and make sure this iconic rivalry doesn’t become a one-sided affair.
Ahead of match 9 of the Women’s Asia Cup 2026 between India and Pakistan, here’s our match preview and predictions.
Women’s Asia Cup 2026 | Match 09: IND W vs PAK W | 20:00 IST, September 05, 2026
India’s batting continued to struggle as the middle order once again failed to capitalise on a good start and barring Smriti Mandhana’s ton, it was another disappointing performance from the Women in Blue with the bat. Mandhana’s 124 laid the foundation for a big score for India with Shafali Verma, Pratika Rawal, Richa Ghosh and Harmanpreet Kaur all chipping in. While Mandhana was the chief wrecker, the rest did get some time in the middle but conversion of the starts still remains an issue. Against a much more potent bowling unit of the Pakistanis, India need to make sure that their middle order is firing rather than only depending on the top three.
The Indian spinners had a field day against Hong Kong as the spin trio of Shree Charani, Deepti Sharma and Prema Rawat picked up seven wickets amongst themselves. Kranti Gaud continues to be economical with the new ball at the top while Nandani Sharma continues to impress, partnering Gaud with the new ball. The bowling has worked for the Women in Blue in both games but against a team who should test them for the first time in the Asia Cup, the Indian middle order needs to step up.
The Pakistani women also had a below average start with the bat in their tournament with Muneeba Ali being the only batter to have gotten runs for the Pakistani team in their game against Thailand. The top and middle order both struggled against the spinners of Thailand and against a more potent spin attack of India, the Pakistani batters needs to apply themselves better.
The Pakistani spinners made use of the supportive conditions with the likes of Sadia Iqbal, Nashra Sandhu and Tuba Hassan all having a strong start to the tournament with the ball. Fatima Sana will be leading the bowling attack from the front with the new ball and an experienced bowling unit should cause some trouble to an Indian batting order who are struggling to find form.
The Dubai strip has shown that while it helps the slower bowlers and spinners, there are still runs on offer for batters who are set in. Both the teams come into this game with their batting units struggling and the bowlers getting the teams over the line. Both teams have strong spin attacks, who will be key in the clash and it will be India holding a slight advantage thanks to a more experienced batting order.
Fantasy XI: Smriti Mandhana (c), Shawaal Zulfiqar, Muneeba Ali, Pratika Rawal, Ayesha Zafar, Richa Ghosh (wk), Fatima Sana (vc), Deepti Sharma, Nandani Sharma, Shree Charani, Sadia Iqbal
Venue: Dubai International Cricket Stadium
Winners Prediction: India
