The Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 is upon us, and let us just say, Harmanpreet Kaur’s Team India are not the favorites coming into the tournament. They face Pakistan, a relatively weak opponent on June 14, in Birmingham, and at least that encounter should be least of the team’s worries.
Keeping all the issues aside for this encounter, the focus should be on what combination the team opts for. Hence, Insidesport takes a look at the predicted India playing XI vs Pakistan.
Easy choice for top order
It is a no-brainer. The top 3 has to be, has to be – Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma and Jemimah Rodrigues. The form is up and down for all three, but we don’t have better batters than them. Period. Mandhana has 231 runs in 9 matches this year, at an average of 28, at an SR of 130. Shafali has been inconsistent, scoring 260 in 11, at a strike-rate of 143, including two fifties. As for Jemi, she has 253 in 11, at an SR of 138, but inconsistency remains an issue.
Indian batters in 2026
| Player | Runs | HS | Average | Strike-rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harmanpreet Kaur | 291 | 66 | 48.50 | 132.27 |
| S Mandhana | 231 | 82 | 28.87 | 130.50 |
| J Rodrigues | 253 | 69 | 25.30 | 138.25 |
| Richa Ghosh | 140 | 34 | 23.33 | 142.85 |
| Shafali Verma | 260 | 64 | 23.63 | 143.64 |
Richa Ghosh at No. 4
Batting for India, has been a bit of a hit and a miss. The day it clicks, everything looks good, while on the day’s it doesn’t, issues galore surface. Harmanpreet at no. 4 has done not much wrong, but T20 demands relentless aggression, and Richa at no. 4 can give the team just that. Her T20I SR is a staggering 144, perhaps the best in the world. She can clear the boundary with utmost ease, has 43 sixes in 69 innings.
This year, in 98 deliveries has scored 140 runs. The math is clear, she can elevate 160-170 scores to 200, which perhaps Harman cannot.
Three spinners, three pacers formula
Since this particular match is against Pakistan, India need not worry about their batting, and focus on getting some much-needed match practice for their pacers, who have been struggling. So, get Kranti, Renuka and Nandni, show what they got. So far, Kranti has been expensive in the 7 matches played, picking up 6 wickets at an economy of 9.08. Nandni hasn’t had the best start to her international career as well, going for 9.27 per over so far. Renuka too has 6 wickets only, but her economy has been better at 7.96.
| Player | Wickets | Average | Economy | Strike-rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shree Charani | 13 | 21.23 | 7.45 | 17.07 |
| Arundhati Reddy | 11 | 27.45 | 7.94 | 20.72 |
| Shreyanka Patil | 9 | 18.44 | 7.90 | 14.00 |
| Deepti Sharma | 9 | 36.33 | 9.04 | 24.11 |
Spinners Deepti Sharma, Shreyanka and Charani have been exceptional, picking 31 wickets together this year. The expectations from the bowling department lie on their shoulders, largely. Perhaps, if needed, Shafali can chip in with a couple of overs as well. Surprisingly, she has 11 wickets in her career, at an economy of 6.64.
Predicted India playing XI vs Pakistan
Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Deepti Sharma, Shreyanka Patil, Nandni Sharma, Renuka Singh Thakur, Kranti Gaud, N Shree Charani.
Cricket
Predicted India Playing XI vs Pakistan, Women's T20 World Cup: Need for three pacers-three spinners formula
