Fresh from a disappointing T20 World Cup campaign, the Indian women's cricket team takes on the challenge in Dubai, aiming to redeem themselves. The trio of Harmanpreet Kaur and her deputy Smriti Mandhana lead their three-time T20 Asia Cup champions side in their 2026 campaign opener against Thailand at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Group A tossers-up with Thailand, Hong Kong China and arch-rivals Pakistan, India are clear favourites, but with the runners-up spot to Sri Lanka in the 2024 edition, nothing is certain.
India's Dominance Across Decades
Since the inaugural Women's Asia Cup in 2004, India has been the dominant force in Asian women's cricket. The team has had a near-perfect record in the limited-overs tournament, registering seven Asia Cup titles since the event's conception.
India has won four out of the nine editions of the Asia Cup that have been played in the 50-over format, while the T20 version has seen the team register three titles since being introduced in 2012.
India has won the T20 Asia Cup on three occasions, in 2012, 2016, and 2022, with the team's best T20 score recorded in the ongoing edition, where they posted an unbeaten 201/5 against the UAE in Dambulla. India's biggest win also came in T20 action, when they absolutely routed Hong Kong by a mammoth 142 runs in 2012.
The Women's Cricket Team Legends and New StarsIndia's achievements in the Asia Cup have been led by the likes of Harmanpreet Kaur, who is the team's all-time top run-scorer in Asia Cup matches with 571 runs in 25 innings and also the most-captained player with 23 matches as skipper.
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Mithali Raj, the former captain, holds the record for the highest individual score by an Indian in Asia Cup matches, with her unbeaten 97-ball 97 against Malaysia in 2018, while her 220 runs in the 2016 edition are the highest in a single edition.
Shafali Verma holds the record for most sixes by an Indian in Asia Cup matches with 9, while Richa Ghosh holds the record for the best strike rate in a single tournament, with an astonishing 179.38.
Deep Spin Makes Bowling Attack Stronger
Too much praise cannot be heaped on India's spin attack, led by Deepti Sharma, who leads the pack for India in terms of wickets in Asia Cup matches with 26. Sharma also holds the record for the most wickets in a single edition with 13 in 2022.
Sharma, however, has slow left-arm spinner Ekta Bisht (16) and leg-spinner Poonam Yadav (14) as her main rivals for the top spot on the all-time wickets list in Asia Cup matches. Yadav, in turn, holds the record for the best bowling figures by an Indian in Asia Cup matches, with her 4/9 against Bangladesh in 2018.
The Challenge Ahead:
For Harmanpreet Kaur's team, the clash against Thailand will be just the beginning of a long road to the title. India will be looking to build on their 2024 campaign as they prepare to face arch-rivals Sri Lanka to try and regain the crown they lost in the 2024 edition. The team's focus will be on building momentum, fine-tuning their approach, and bringing home an eighth Asia Cup trophy overall.