India vs Thailand Live Score, Women’s Asia Cup: Can India make a clinical start?

Harmanpreet Kaur’s India will begin their 2026 Women’s T20 Asia Cup campaign against Thailand in Dubai on Sunday. The defending champions enter the tournament as strong favourites, but their recent form has been a cause for concern. India have won nine of their 16 T20Is this year and suffered a group-stage exit at the T20 World Cup, leaving the team with plenty to work on.

The absence of Jemimah Rodrigues, ruled out with a hamstring injury, is a significant blow. Pratika Rawal has been called up as her replacement, but India still lack a proven middle-order batter who can absorb pressure and accelerate when needed. The top order, led by Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma, will have to shoulder the responsibility. Thailand, meanwhile, have already shown they can be competitive, having begun their campaign with a six-run win over Hong Kong.

The Asia Cup is a crucial tournament for India to regain momentum ahead of the Asian Games next month. Thailand have never beaten India in a T20I.