India Women began their Women’s Asia Cup 2026 campaign against Thailand Women at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday, with Harmanpreet Kaur’s side asked to bat first after Thailand won the toss. The match marks the beginning of India’s campaign in the tournament, where the seven-time champions will look to make a strong start. One of the major talking points before the match was the inclusion of Pratika Rawal, who was handed her international T20 debut as India made changes to their squad for the competition.

India entered the tournament as the most successful team in the history of the Women’s Asia Cup. The team has won the competition seven times and will be looking to add another title to its record. Harmanpreet Kaur leads an experienced squad featuring several established international players, including Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh and Renuka Singh. With the tournament also providing important preparation ahead of future international assignments, India will be keen to build momentum from the opening game.

The spotlight was particularly on Rawal, whose selection gives her an opportunity to make her mark in the shortest international format. The batter has already been part of India’s international setup in the ODI format and has shown her ability to play substantial innings. Her debut against Thailand provides another opportunity for the team management to assess her suitability for the T20I format. Rawal’s inclusion comes at a time when India are managing changes to their batting combination, making her performance one of the key aspects to watch during the campaign.

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Thailand, meanwhile, came into the contest with an early advantage in terms of match practice. They had already played their opening game of the tournament against Hong Kong Women and secured a victory. The result gave Thailand an important early boost in Group A and meant they entered their second match with confidence. Although India have considerably greater experience at the international level and are the stronger side on paper, Thailand’s opening result underlined the need for India to avoid complacency.

The tournament features two groups, with India and Thailand placed in Group A alongside Pakistan and Hong Kong. Group B consists of Sri Lanka, the United Arab Emirates, Bangladesh and Indonesia. The group stage follows a single round-robin format, with teams competing to secure a place in the knockout phase. The top four teams from the two groups will advance to the semifinals, making the opening matches particularly important as teams attempt to build a strong position in the standings.

India’s squad for the tournament includes Smriti Mandhana, Bharti Fulmali, Richa Ghosh, Gunalan Kamalini, Pratika Rawal, Harmanpreet Kaur, Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Kranti Gaud, Prema Rawat, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh, Nandini Sharma, Shree Charani and Radha Yadav. The combination offers India depth across batting, spin and pace, while several players provide all-round options. With Thailand choosing to bowl first, India’s batters will have the first opportunity to establish control of the match.

For Harmanpreet and her team, the immediate objective will be to put up a competitive total and then use their bowling resources to put pressure on Thailand. The conditions in Dubai can make stroke-making challenging at times, meaning India’s ability to build partnerships and manage the innings will be important. Mandhana and the other senior batters will be expected to provide stability at the top, while Rawal’s debut adds an additional storyline to the contest. A convincing opening performance would give India valuable momentum as they continue their pursuit of another Asia Cup title.

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