When Thailand and India step out onto the field for their Women’s Asia Cup 2026 opener at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on August 30, both teams will be battling it out for crucial group stage points.
But aside from the result, Deepti Sharma and Thipatcha Putthawong will also be locked in their own contest on the side.
They will both be out to become the leading wicket-taker in the history of Women’s T20Is.
It is a record the pair have been taking from each other for the last few months. Deepti was first to reach the landmark, moving past Megan Schutt in December 2025 before Putthawong claimed it in June this year. Deepti briefly reclaimed first during the T20 World Cup, but heading into the Asia Cup, ICC records have Putthawong ahead by one (169 to 168).
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“I’m really proud to have that achievement,” the left-arm-spinner told Sports stars via a translator. “I never planned it or thought about holding this record, but with experience and through the support of my coaches, it has happened. I’m really proud to be in that top bracket of wicket-takers.”
Curiously enough, the 22-year-old didn’t even realise she had broken the record when she took her record-breaking wicket. “I didn’t know about it until someone from the back office told me! I knew I was close by, but to cross that mark was a really proud feeling,” she recalled.
Putthawong will come to the Asia Cup with a Thailand side whose reputation has risen quickly in recent years. It is currently ranked 12th in the world, making it the next-highest ranked behind India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, and qualified for the 2020 T20 World Cup and beat Pakistan at the 2022 edition of the Asia Cup.
The latest notch in its cap was winning the 2025 ICC Emerging Nations Trophy, a tournament contested by the eight highest-ranked associate teams. Thailand claimed the mantle of champion in the final match of the tournament, sneaking over the line in a low-scoring thriller against Scotland.
Putthawong – who won Bowler of the Tournament after finishing as the joint-highest wicket-taker at the tournament with 15 dismissals – said that winning the trophy was among the highlights of her professional career to date.
“The final game against Scotland was a really close encounter, and winning that to become champion is one of my proudest moments,” she said.
“That whole tournament was a see-saw,” she remembered. “There was a lot of pressure because we lost a couple of games early on, and it made that last group game the decider. I had to take that pressure on with confidence, and pushed myself to play my role. When we eventually came out on the winning side, and everyone was so happy, I was really proud.”
She put Thailand’s recent cricketing flourish (particularly in women’s cricket) down to the ability to more consistently access opportunities to improve and develop.
“I think it has to do with the development programmes and high-performance tours the team has been doing consistently over the year, with less of a break,” she said. “That’s helped us become a strong competitor. I’m happy to have access to those things”
This edition will be the third time Putthawong has featured in the Asia Cup, and heading into the tournament, she is confident that there will be opportunities to both learn and impress. “Whenever you play against Full Member nations, there’s so much to learn from them,” she said. “We’re really looking forward to this one because there has been a lot of development and growth in the group.”
(Watch DP World Women’s Asia Cup 2026- Thailand vs Hong Kong on August 28, 2026, from 8 PM IST live on Sony Sports Ten 1 SD & HD, Sony Sports Ten 3 SD & HD (Hindi), Sony Sports Ten 4 SD (Telugu, Kannada) & Sony LIV.)
Published on Aug 26, 2026