The Indian women’s cricket team will face Bangladesh on Thursday in their Group A game of the T20 World Cup 2026 at the Old Trafford in Manchester, England, aiming to answer the questions that have been raised over the team’s sloppy fielding and poor form of the middle order.
Led by Harmanpreet Kaur, the Women in Blue entered the tournament as one of the favourites, riding on the confidence after their ODI World Cup victory in 2025. The openers, Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma, have also performed, with both scoring at a strike rate of over 154.ย
While Mandhana has scored 159 runs in three games, Verma has made 92 runs in the tournament so far. However, the middle order has disappointed, with Kaur, Jemimah Rodrigues and Yastika Bhatia failing to carry on the momentum. Their strike rates have also been disappointing, and the team’s sloppy fielding has also added to their troubles.ย
However, the Women in Blue would look to rectify this when they face Bangladesh at 7 pm IST on Thursday.
Pitch report:
It is expected that there will be a fair contest between the bat and the ball at the Old Trafford in Manchester. The pitch might provide assistance to the pacers in the beginning of the game, but spinners might come in the middle overs. A total of 160 plus runs could be challenging for the chasing side here in Manchester.
Weather forecast:
The weather is expected to remain cloudy in Manchester and the temperature could hover between 16 and 18 degree Celsius. There is also a 40 per cent possibility of slight rains, mainly drizzles, but the game will most likely completely played. Coming to the humidity, it is expected to be roughly 70 per cent.
Head-to-head stats:
India and Bangladesh have played 16 T20I games against each other. Of these, 13 were won by India, while Bangladesh registered three victories. India (81.25 per cent) lead the overall head-to-head 13-3 against Bangladesh (18.75 per cent) in women’s T20Is.
Probable playing XIs:ย
India: Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur, Yastika Bhatia/ Bharti Fulmali, Richa Ghosh, Deepti Sharma, Radha Yadav, Arundhati Reddy, Shree Charani and Nandni Sharma.
Bangladesh: Dilara Akter, Juairiya Ferdous, Sharmin Akhter, Nigar Sultana, Sobhana Mostary, Ritu Moni, Shorna Akter, Rabeya Khan, Nahida Akter, Shanjida Akter and Marufa Akter.
Full squads:
India: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Yastika Bhatia (wk), Bharti Fulmali, Richa Ghosh (wk), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Kranti Gaud, Prema Rawat, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh Thakur, Radha Yadav, Nandini Sharma and Shree Charani.
Bangladesh: Nigar Sultana (c&wk), Nahida Akter (vc), Dilara Akter (wk), Juairiya Firdous (wk), Sobhana Mostary, Tej Nehar, Sharmin Akhter, Rabeya Khan, Ritu Moni, Shorna Akter, Fahima Khatun, Fariha Trisna, Marufa Akter, Sanjida Akter Meghla and Sultana Khatun.
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