IND vs PAK: 3 Pakistan players who could pose challenge for India in Women's T20 World Cup 2026 clash
The IND vs PAK game in the Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 will take place on June 14.
The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 has started in England on June 12, with former champions England and Sri Lanka going head-to-head in the first match. England Women won the match comfortably by 87 runs.
India Women are set to begin their campaign on Sunday, with their first match being scheduled against Pakistan. The match will be played in Birmingham, and is slated to start at 7:00 PM (IST).
ICC World Cup-winning captain Harmanpreet Kaur will play in her tenth edition of the T20 World Cup and will continue to lead the side. Meanwhile, Pakistan Women are led by Fatima Sana.
India will look to translate their ODI form in the shortest format and go for their maiden T20 World Cup title. They are placed in Group A alongside Australia, South Africa, Bangladesh, Pakistan and the debutants Netherlands.
The Women in Blue have had a phenomenal record against Pakistan in Women’s T20Is. Out of the 16 matches they have contested since 2009, Pakistan have won only three. On that note, let’s take a look at which three players from Pakistan could pose a challenge for India on Sunday.
3 Pakistan players who can trouble India on Sunday
Nashra Sandhu
Nashra Sandhu is Pakistan’s third-highest wicket-taker in the Women’s T20Is, and currently the highest wicket-taker among active players. In her 77 matches, she has picked 74 wickets, at a staggering economy of 5.5 and an average of 21.
Sandhu recently took 4 wickets in two matches against Zimbabwe and also contributed by clinching 7 wickets in the ICC Women’s CWC 2025.
Muneeba Ali
Muneeba Ali is the fourth highest run-scorer in Women’s T20Is for Pakistan with more than 1600 runs to her name. She is the first Pakistan female cricketer to hit two centuries in T20 internationals.
Muneeba, in her recent outing, scored 65 runs against Ireland Women in the warm-up match before the T20 World Cup. She scored 60 runs in the series against Zimbabwe, which Pakistan won 3-0. Her game in the powerplay will determine how strongly Pakistan start in the match.
Fatima Sana
Pakistan’s skipper Fatima Sana has been the star performer for the team in the past couple of years. She is an all-rounder who bats in the lower middle order and can score big runs, along with being a key wicket-taker for her side.
In her 58 T20I matches, she has picked 48 wickets with an economy well under 8. She has also scored more than 1300 runs at a strike rate of 140. Her performance in such an important clash will be pivotal for Pakistan.
When is India’s first match of the Women’s T20 World Cup 2026?
India will play their first match of the Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 on Sunday, June 14, against Pakistan.
At what time is India’s match of the Women’s T20 World Cup 2026?
All the league matches of the Indian Women are scheduled to start at 7:00 PM (IST).
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Cricket runs in the blood of Indians — and that’s something she truly believes in. A law student with a lifelong connection to the game, she has followed cricket passionately since his school days. Like countless young fans, she first experienced the sport on the field before deepening his understanding through constant watching, reading, and conversations around the game. Writing became a natural extension of that passion, bringing a “Pavilion Perspective” to his work — capturing how fans experience matches through their own lens.