MANCHESTER: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.
The Women in Blue, led by, entered the tournament as one of the favourites riding on the confidence after their ODI World Cup victory in 2025. The openers, Shafali Verma, also contributed with the bat with both scoring at a strike rate of over 154.
Mandhana has scored 159 runs in 3 games but Verma has scored 92 runs in the tournament so far. However, the middle order has faltered with Kaur and Yastika Bhatia failing to carry the momentum. Their and the team's sloppy fielding has compounded their woes.
However, the Women in Blue will be eager to make amends when they take on Bangladesh at 7 pm IST on Thursday.
Pitch report:There should be a decent contest between bat and ball at Old Trafford, Manchester. The pitch might help the pacers at the start of the game but spinners might come in the middle overs. Crossing the 160 plus runs here in Manchester could be difficult for the chasing side.
Weather forecast:In Manchester, it will be cloudy with temperatures between 16 and 18 degrees Celsius. There is a 40 per cent chance of light showers, mainly drizzle, but the match is very likely to be played in full. As for the humidity, it is expected to be around 70 per cent.
Head-to-head stats:India and Bangladesh have played 16 T20I matches against each other. India have won 13 of those, Bangladesh three. In the overall head-to-head in women’s T20Is, India (81.25 per cent) lead 13-3 against Bangladesh (18.75 per cent).
Probable playing XIs:India:Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur, Yastika Bhatia/ Bharti Fulmali, Richa Ghosh, Radha Yadav, 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, 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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