Opting to bat first, India posted a big total of 170 and then bundled out Pakistan for just 106. Smriti Mandhana scored 68 in the first innings, while the second innings was all about Deepti Sharma. The spinner picked five wickets. Deepti also became the first spinner in women's international cricket to register 350 scalps. Additionally, she effected a superb direct hit.

Deepti Sharma takes two more wickets as INDIA BEAT PAKISTAN BY 64 RUNS to start their Women's T20 World Cup 2026 campaign on a winning note. Deepti ends with a five-for. She returns with figures of 5 for 10 in her quota of four overs.

OUT! Deepti Sharma strikes again! She gives the ball flight, and Aliya Riaz finds the fielder in the deep. She connects it decently but fails to clear deep mid-wicket. Pakistan are eight down. India need just two more wickets to wrap up this game early.

Aliya Riaz c Jemimah Rodrigues b Deepti Sharma 18(17) [4s-1]

PAKW 105-8 (16.2)

Twelve runs come off Shafali Verma's third over. Pakistan Women need 67 runs off 24 balls. This match is all but over for them now. India are only four overs — or three wickets — away from a big victory.

PAKW 104-7 (16)

OUT! This is a stunning catch from Shreyanka Patil! Rameen Shamim jumps out of her crease but gets an outside edge on the ball. Shreyanka runs to her right from point and dives to take a brilliant catch. No need for a review this time!

Rameen Shamim c Shreyanka Patil b Shree Charani 4(6)

PAKW 91-7 (14.4)

Aliya Riaz survives a close call on the fourth ball of the over. Shafali Verma bowls it on the line of the stumps, and Riaz hits it with bat and pad. While the ground umpire gives it not out, India refer it upstairs. The TV umpire fails to conclude whether it was bat or pad first. As a result, the on-field decision stays, and India lose their review.

PAKW 89-6 (14)

OUT! Second wicket for Shree Charani! The pressure of the asking rate is getting the better of the Pakistan batters in the chase. With the required run rate close to 12, Natalia Pervaiz jumps out of her crease to play an inside-out lofted shot but fails to clear Harmanpreet Kaur at extra cover.

Natalia Pervaiz c Harmanpreet Kaur b Shree Charani 7(13)

PAKW 79-6 (12.1)

OUT! Fatima Sana is GONE! The Pakistan captain departs for a three-ball duck. She tries to smash Shafali Verma's delivery and ends up hitting it to Smriti Mandhana at cover. Pakistan are struggling in the chase. They are five down.

Fatima Sana c Smriti Mandhana b Shafali Verma 0(3)

PAKW 77-5 (11.3)

Deepti Sharma effects a sensational run-out! Natalia Pervaiz gets an outside edge to the right of the fielder at backward point. She tries to steal a single with Muneeba Ali running at the danger end. Deepti collects the ball and puts a sharp direct-hit at the stumps. 

Muneeba Ali run out (Deepti Sharma) 41(35) [4s-5]

PAKW 75-4 (10.5)

9.4 — FOUR! This is the first boundary for Pakistan after the Powerplay. They have been struggling to get going since the first six overs of the chase. Muneeba Ali sweeps Shree Charani's delivery through deep square leg for a four this time.

OUT! Shree Charani strikes! She bowls it fuller, and Saira Jabeen tries to flick it on the leg side. The ball takes the leading edge of the batter and balloons to Harmanpreet Kaur at extra cover. Pakistan are three down.

Saira Jabeen c Harmanpreet Kaur b Shree Charani 2(3)

PAKW 58-3 (7.4)

OUT! Deepti Sharma strikes again. The experienced spinner puts India back in the game with two quick wickets. Ayesha Zafar plays a sweep shot but finds Smriti Mandhana at short fine leg. The fielder dives forward and takes a good catch.

Ayesha Zafar c Smriti Mandhana b Deepti Sharma 12(8) [4s-2]

PAKW 53-2 (6.3)

Arundhati Reddy concedes thirteen runs in the final over of the Powerplay. Pakistan are off to a brilliant start in the chase of 171. They need 119 runs off 84 balls. Their scoring rate is 8.67, while the required rate is 8.5.

PAKW 52-1 (6)

OUT! Here's the first wicket for India! This is a much-needed breakthrough for the bowling team, and an experienced player provides it. Deepti Sharma bowls it slow through the air as she sees Gull Feroza trying to play a reverse sweep. The batter ends up finding the fielder at backward point.

Gull Feroza c Bharti Fulmali b Deepti Sharma 12(9) [4s-2]  

PAKW 38-1 (4.5)

Twelve runs come off Shreyanka Patil's second over. Pakistan score 37 runs in the first four overs, and this turns out to be their highest opening stand against India in a women's T20I.

PAKW 37-0 (4)

Kranti Gaud bowls an over and ends up leaking fourteen runs. Muneeba Ali smashes the India pacer for two fours, while Gull Feroza also hits a boundary in the over. Pakistan’s start looks good so far.

PAKW 25-0 (3)

Arundhati Reddy recovers well after being smashed for a first-ball four. She bowls tight lines and concedes four singles in her remaining five balls.

PAKW 8-0 (1)

Arundhati Reddy bowls a short-of-a-length delivery with width on offer. Muneeba slices it hard as the ball flies over short third for a four. Pakistan start with a boundary in the chase of 171 runs against India.

Arundhati Reddy gets ready with the new ball. Gull Feroza and Muneeba Ali are out there to open the batting for Pakistan. The chase is set to begin. Here we go...

Fifteen runs come off the final over! India post a big total of 170. While Smriti Mandhana's 68 plays the biggest role for India today, Richa Ghosh's fiery cameo of 34 off 17 towards the end helps their cause. Fatima Sana bowls Richa on the penultimate ball but ends up conceding too many runs.

INDW 170-6 (20)

4, 1, 4, 6, 4, 4 — This is exactly the kind of over India needed! Deepti Sharma begins with a four and gives the strike to Richa Ghosh on the next ball. The wicketkeeper-batter then butchers away Tasmia Rubab for three fours and a six. Twenty-three runs come off the over.

INDW 155-5 (19)

Nashra Sandhu concedes only three runs in her final over. She doesn't pick any wicket but manages to bowl an economical spell. The spinner concedes twenty five runs in her quota of four overs.

INDW 132-5 (18)

Big wicket for Pakistan! Captain Fatima Sana removes her India counterpart, Harmanpreet Kaur. It is a fuller delivery, and Harmanpreet flicks it well but finds the fielder in the deep. Pervaiz makes no mistake and takes it cleanly this time.

Harmanpreet Kaur c Natalia Pervaiz b Fatima Sana 36(35) [4s-4] 

INDW 123-5 (16.2)

This is a really good over from Nashra Sandhu. Despite Harmanpreet Kaur trying her best to score runs, Sandhu manages to bowl an economical over. She concedes only five runs in it.

INDW 122-4 (16)

OUT! That is another wicket for Pakistan! Bharti Fulmali, the new batter, jumps out of her crease on just the third ball she faces and pays the price. She misses it completely and is stumped. India are four down.

Bharti Fulmali st Muneeba Ali b Sadia Iqbal 1(3)

INDW 110-4 (14.2)

OUT! Smriti Mandhana departs! That is a good catch by Pakistan captain Fatima Sana at long-on. The Indian opener jumps out of her crease but fails to time it well. Fatima runs in from the deep and takes a really good catch.

Smriti Mandhana c Fatima Sana b Rameen Shamim 68(44) [4s-9 6s-2]

INDW 109-3 (13.5)

6, 4, 4 — Smriti Mandhana is on fire! The southpaw smashes Sadia Iqbal for a six and two fours in the over. The maximum comes as the fielder drops Mandhana at deep mid-wicket. Nineteen runs come off the over, which also sees India cross the 100-run mark.

INDW 104-2 (13)

FOUR! This is yet another beautiful inside-out shot from Smriti Mandhana for a boundary. With this shot, Mandhana races to her half-century in just 34 balls. This is a brilliant knock from the opener as it has put a struggling India in complete control of the game.

INDW 80-2 (11.2)

Smriti Mandhana jumps out of her crease and lofts this inside-out for a four through the extra cover region. The Indian opener then takes a single to retain strike and moves to 44 off 32 balls.

INDW 74-2 (11)

Harmanpreet Kaur slams her first boundary of the innings. She gets it through the sweeper cover region for a four. Later, the India captain nails a sweep shot to perfection to earn another boundary. India also cross the mark of 50 runs in the over.

INDW 54-2 (9)

Mandhana gets a life! On the fifth ball of the over from Tasmia Rubab, Smriti Mandhana tries to move to the leg side and create room for herself. The bowler follows her with a fuller delivery, and Mandhana ends up miscuing the ball behind the mid-off fielder, who backpedals well but drops the catch.

INDW 46-2 (8)

Harmanpreet Kaur surpasses Mithali Raj's record to become the Indian player with the most runs in the Women's T20 World Cup history. Before this match, both Harmanpreet and Mithali were tied at the top spot with 726 runs each. However, Harmanpreet now holds the record outright.

Fatima Sana bowls a fuller delivery, and Smriti Mandhana drives it uppishly for a four down the ground. The ball teases the bowler as it goes past her on the right, beating her outstretched hand. Despite this, Pakistan finish the Powerplay on a high as they pick two wickets while conceding only 38 runs in the phase.

INDW 38-2 (6)

Smriti Mandhana smashes Rameen Shamim for two fours in the over. With fine leg inside the circle, Mandhana makes the most of the poor bowling from the spinner. Shamim bowls two deliveries around the pads, and the India opener hits both of them behind square on the leg side for fours.

INDW 30-2 (5)

Only two runs and a wicket come off Tasmia Rubab's first over. Pakistan are off to a sensational start here. India are totally under pressure. The only good thing for the batting team is that their most experienced players — Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur — are there in the middle.

INDW 20-2 (4)

Jemimah Rodrigues is OUT! She perishes after misjudging the length for her shot. Rodrigues tries to go for a big one on the leg side but ends up slicing the ball in the air. Pervaiz takes the catch after a juggle at extra cover. She then throws the ball on the ground in a massive celebration.

Jemimah Rodrigues c Natalia Pervaiz b Tasmia Rubab 1(7)

INDW 18-2 (3.2)

Smriti Mandhana smashes Sadia Iqbal for two fours in this over! She smacked the first one to the left of long-on, where the fielder put in a dive but failed to save it. A ball later, Mandhana plays a glorious drive through the gap between the mid-off and cover fielders.

INDW 18-1 (3)

Pakistan captain Fatima Sana comes in to bowl the second over of the innings. She bowls a tight over, conceding only three runs. Pakistan are off to a really good start here at Edgbaston.

INDW 10-1 (2)

Shafali Verma is GONE! It's an early wicket for Pakistan! The move to hand the first over to a spinner has worked for them. Shafali looked to play a nothing shot, but the short ball took the outside edge of her bat and went into the gloves of the wicketkeeper.

Shafali Verma c Muneeba Ali b Sadia Iqbal 6(5) [6s-1] 

INDW 7-1 (0.5)

Wow! Shafali Verma is off the mark with a SIX! Sadia overpitches the first ball, and the India opener courageously slams it over the long-off fence for a maximum. This is a stunning start from her!

Shafali Verma gets on the strike, Smriti Mandha is at the other end. Pakistan are starting with spin. Sadia will bowl the first over. Here we go...

"Game three on this very same surface. If you have played three games on a surface, you'd think it would look tired and get tired, but this is a hybrid pitch. This is one of seven hybrid pitches that they have here at Edgbaston, and it has held together pretty well. Obviously, with all the traffic during the previous games, there are some bits of rough, and there are little bits that it will grip, and that's why it's a spin-heavy side on both sides. Here, your seamers need to bowl cutters, and your spinners will make it grip. I think it's still a very good surface," said Ian Smith and Nasser Hussain while talking about the pitch.

Legendary pacer Jhulan Goswami has picked Pakistan captain Fatima Sana as a potential threat for India in this game. Sana is a fast bowling all-rounder who has taken 48 wickets in 58 T20I matches so far.

Goswami also expects India to score something around 70 for the loss of one wicket in the Powerplay.

India Women (Playing XI): Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur(c), Bharti Fulmali, Richa Ghosh(w), Deepti Sharma, Arundhati Reddy, Shreyanka Patil, Shree Charani, Kranti Gaud

Pakistan Women (Playing XI): Gull Feroza, Muneeba Ali(w), Ayesha Zafar, Saira Jabeen, Aliya Riaz, Natalia Pervaiz, Fatima Sana(c), Rameen Shamim, Nashra Sandhu, Tasmia Rubab, Sadia Iqbal

"I think if we had won the toss, we were going to bat first as well because it looks like a batting track. As a team, we are doing great in the batting and the bowling as well. So we know we have a good bowling unit, so we just need to improve in the batting side, so we are good to go," said Pakistan captain Fatima Sana.

"It looks like a batting track, but still, we have a good bowling unit. We have a good experienced bowling attack, so I think it will be a good contest. We are going with Saira. She will be playing first time in the World Cup," she added.

"We will bat first. I think it's a very good pitch to bat on, so we just thought let's bat and set a decent total on the board. We all are very excited. The last World Cup (ODI) definitely has given us a lot of confidence and we just want to carry that confidence to this World Cup," said India captain Harmanpreet Kaur.

"We have plugged a lot of areas and now it's only about playing good cricket and we are looking forward to that. Bharti's playing today. And yeah, Yastika did really well, but today we thought of going with Bharti. We are going with three spinners and two medium pacers," she added.

India captain Harmanpreet Kaur wins the toss and opts to bat first against Pakistan in their Women's T20 World Cup 2026 match. The 'no handshake' policy of India against Pakistan continues.

We are just under 15 minutes away from toss time at Edgbaston. Harmanpreet Kaur is set to lead India, but it will be interesting to see whether Fatima Sana captains Pakistan today. Fatima Sana suffered an injury on the day before the game, and had to leave Pakistan's training session.

The Indian women's cricket team will not engage in any handshakes with their Pakistan counterparts, sources have informed NDTV. India have followed this policy against Pakistan ever since the Pahalgam terror attack in April 2025, when 26 people were killed in the town of Pahalgam in India's Jammu and Kashmir.

With Amanjot Kaur missing out on the Women's T20 World Cup, India have a big hole to fill in the middle order. It appears that Bharti Fulmali will get the nod in the starting XI, after impressing in India's recent warm-up matches. As for the bowling attack, it will be interesting to see which spinner gets the nod.

India and Pakistan have met 16 times previously in WT20Is, with India holding a major advantage. India have won 13 of the 16 matches, with Pakistan winning only thrice. Pakistan's last win against India in a Women's T20 World Cup came 10 years ago, in 2016.

Pakistan, captained by Fatima Sana, arrive with a youthful squad keen to make an immediate statement. Although India enjoy a superior head-to-head record in T20Is, Pakistan will take confidence from the fact that major tournaments often produce unexpected outcomes.

There were clouds of uncertainty over the participation of Pakistan captain Fatima Sana, but as per her own statement, she is likely to play the game today. Sana suffered an injury to her right knee during practice. "Ayesha (Zafar) baaji played the shot, and it hit my knee. I think it is good now," the Pakistan captain said during the pre-match press conference.

Harmanpreet Kaur-led India enter the tournament carrying the weight of expectation as they continue their pursuit of a maiden Women's T20 World Cup trophy. Given that they are also the reigning ODI World Cup champions, the side is one of the favourites for the T20 World title in England this time.

India Women Squad: Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur(c), Bharti Fulmali, Richa Ghosh(w), Deepti Sharma, Shreyanka Patil, Kranti Gaud, Renuka Singh Thakur, Shree Charani, Radha Yadav, Arundhati Reddy, Yastika Bhatia, Nandani Sharma

Pakistan Women Squad: Gull Feroza, Muneeba Ali(w), Saira Jabeen, Ayesha Zafar, Iram Javed, Fatima Sana(c), Aliya Riaz, Natalia Pervaiz, Eyman Fatima, Diana Baig, Nashra Sandhu, Rameen Shamim, Sadia Iqbal, Tuba Hassan, Tasmia Rubab

Hello everyone, welcome to NDTV's live blog. Arch-rivals India and Pakistan come up against each other today in the Women's T20 World Cup 2026. This high-octane encounter will be the campaign opener for both sides. Stay connected for live score and updates!