Harmanpreet-led India reach Dubai for Women’s Asia Cup

New Delhi, Aug 27 (IANS) Harmanpreet Kaur-led Team India have landed in Dubai to begin preparations for the 2026 Women’s Asia Cup, with the eight-team T20I tournament set to get underway in the UAE on Friday.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) marked the team’s arrival by sharing a video of the players’ journey to Dubai on social media.

“Hello Dubai! #TeamIndia have arrived for the ACC Women’s Asia Cup 2026,” the BCCI wrote.

India head into the tournament as its most successful side and will be looking to regain the title after Sri Lanka ended their dominance by winning the previous edition on home soil in 2024. The competition will feature eight teams split across two groups. India have been drawn in Group A alongside Pakistan, Thailand and Hong Kong, while defending champions Sri Lanka are joined by Bangladesh, Indonesia and hosts United Arab Emirates in Group B.

The Women in Blue will open their campaign against Thailand on August 30. Bangladesh and Indonesia will meet a day later, before Pakistan take on Thailand on September 1. One of the most anticipated fixtures of the group stage will see India renew their rivalry with Pakistan on September 5, marking the teams’ first meeting since the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026.

The top two teams from each group will progress to the semifinals, scheduled for September 10 and 11, with the final set to be played on September 13. Dubai will host the Women’s T20 Asia Cup for the first time, with all 15 matches of the tournament taking place in the city. The schedule includes 12 group-stage matches, followed by two semifinals and the final.

India have enjoyed considerable success in the T20 version of the competition, winning three of the five editions held so far. They finished runners-up on the other two occasions, losing to Bangladesh in 2018 and Sri Lanka in 2024. With a squad featuring experienced campaigners such as Harmanpreet, Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma and Deepti Sharma alongside emerging talent, India will begin their bid to reclaim the continental crown in Dubai.

India squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Shafali Verma, Bharti Fulmali, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wk), G Kamalini (wk), Arundhati Reddy, Prema Rawat, Radha Yadav, Sree Charani, Renuka Thakur, Nandni Sharma, Kranti Gaud, Pratika Rawal.

–IANS

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