India and Pakistan are all set to renew their rivalry in women’s cricket once again, when the two teams lock horns in the Group A match of the 2026 Women’s Asia Cup in Dubai on Saturday.
India qualified for the semi-finals of the eight-team tournament with a thumping 137-run win over Hong Kong in their second Women’s Asia Cup Group A game. In their group stage opener, the Women in Blue defeated Thailand by 94 runs.
Pakistan, on the other hand, will also qualify for the semi-finals if they beat India on Saturday. Even a defeat to India won’t put Pakistan in immediate danger as they have a positive Net Run Rate (NRR) of +1.750, when compared to that of Thailand (Two points, NRR of -2.050) and Hong Kong (Zero points, NRR of -3.575). Hong Kong still have a game to play as they will face Pakistan on Monday.
Because of political tensions between the two countries, India and Pakistan have only locked horns in ICC and Asian Cricket Council (ACC) tournaments, across both men’s and women’s cricket.
So, what happened the last time India and Pakistan locked horns in women’s cricket? We take a look.
What happened when India and Pakistan last faced off?
India and Pakistan last locked horns in women’s cricket during group stage of the 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup in England.
The Group A match was played at Birmingham’s Edgbaston, wherein Harmanpreet Kaur-led India emerged victorious by 64 runs. India won the toss and opted to bat first. Early in the innings, Pakistan found a breakthrough when bowler Sadia Iqbal struck to dismiss Shafali Verma (6).
However, India quickly regained control through a third-wicket partnership between Harmanpreet and Smriti Mandhana, wherein they forged 91 runs.
Mandhana anchored the Indian innings, scoring 68 runs off 44 balls with a strike rate of 154.55. Her half-century featured nine boundary fours and two sixes. Harmanpreet played a supporting role, scoring 36 runs off 35 deliveries.
Towards the end of the innings, wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh delivered a rapid surge, scoring 34 runs off 17 balls at a strike rate of 200, which included five fours and one six. India eventually posted a total of 170/6 from 20 overs.
In Pakistan’s reply, openers Muneeba Ali and Gull Feroza got off to a brisk start, but they weren’t able to build a promising partnership. The duo forged a partnership of 38 runs from 29 deliveries, before Deepti Sharma dismissed Feroza in the fifth over.
From there on, Pakistan never really recovered as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals. As a result, the Women in Green were restricted to 79/6 in the 13th over before being bundled out for 106 in 17 overs.
Deepti Sharma was the standout bowler for India with figures of 5/10 from four overs. Shree Charani registered figures of 3/21 from four overs, whereas Shafali Verma registered figures of 1/22 from three overs.
Both India and Pakistan, however, failed to advance to the semi-finals. India finished third in Group A with six points from five matches whereas Pakistan finished fifth with two points.