India-W set sights on prized Women’s Asia Cup final berth as Bangladesh pose stern challenge
Now with the group stages done and dominated by Team India, they are all set to take to the field for the all-important semi-final clash against Bangladesh which will be played in Dubai. India topped Group A to sail through to the knock-outs after registering record-shattering wins against Thailand, Hong Kong and Pakistan.
Bangladesh had a clinical start to the fray with a 71-run win against Indonesia but suffered a defeat against the defending champions, Sri Lanka in their follow-up game. Despite their batters missing out on getting a big enough number on the board, their bowlers rallied well to secure a hard-fought win against UAE in their last group stage battle, clinching the ticket to the semi-final.
One of the major challenges for both the sides has been their batting. With the kind of surface in play, it has been hard for batters to find their rhythm. Shafali Verma stood out in India’s tournament opener while Smriti Mandhana shattered a flurry of records in the clash against Hong Kong. However, in the clash against Pakistan, India had an early wobble but Harmanpreet Kaur and Deepti Sharma anchored the rest of the innings and saw India cross the line without breaking a sweat.
Bangladesh has also struggled with the bat with their highest score in the tournament being 129 that came against Indonesia in their first clash. They would also be wary of the challenges posed by India's mighty spin attack, featuring Deepti Sharma, Prema Rawat and N Sree Charani.
Bangladesh also have a formidable bowling unit, spearheaded by Marufa Akter who has claimed seven wickets from three games. She has been flanked well by Nahida Akter who has registered five wickets at an economy of 5.00. The two will be Bangladesh’s primary weapon against India’s stacked batting unit that will be hopeful of a collective show after individual brilliance showing them the way across the group stage.
Venue Watch:
The Dubai surface has been a very challenging one to bat on with the ball gripping onto it. Timing their shots to perfection has been a major bother for the batters. The odd bounce or the lack of it at times has been an equally troublesome conundrum on all the pitches in Dubai. Spinners will certainly be the favourites to make all the difference in the world.
Match details:
Match: India vs Bangladesh, 1st Semi-final, ACC Women’s Asia Cup
Venue: Dubai International Stadium, Dubai
Date: 10th September, 2026
Time: 8:00 PM IST
Head-to-head:
Matches played – 24
India – 20
Bangladesh - 3
Squads:
India:
Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Smriti Mandhana (vice-captain), Shafali Verma, Bharti Fulmali, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wicketkeeper), Gunalan Kamalini (wicketkeeper), Arundhati Reddy, Prema Rawat, Radha Yadav, Sree Charani, Renuka Singh Thakur, Nandni Sharma, Kranti Gaud, Pratika Rawal.
Bangladesh:
Nigar Sultana Joty (c), Nahida Akter (vc), Dilara Akter, Juairiya Ferdous, Sharmin Akter Supta, Sarmin Sultana, Sobhana Mostary, Shorna Akter, Ritu Moni, Fahima Khatun, Rabeya Khan, Marufa Akter, Sultana Khatun, Shanjida Akther Maghla, Fariha Islam Trisna
