Women’s T20 World Cup 2026, NL-W vs SA-W 24th Match, Group 1 Match Preview

Who’s playing whom?

In the first match of Thursday’s double-header, India will face Bangladesh in Manchester at 1.30pm GMT (2.30pm local). India are coming off a defeat against South Africa, which has dented their semi-final chances. Bangladesh, meanwhile, will be full of confidence after their win over Pakistan in Southampton. While both teams have four points from three games, India remain strong favourites, backed by a head-to-head record of 20-3 against Bangladesh.

Later in the day, South Africa will meet Netherlands in Bristol at 5.30pm GMT (6.30pm local). Given that Netherlands are yet to open their account, South Africa will look at this as an opportunity to boost their net run rate, as the semi-final qualification could hinge on it. The only previous T20I between the two teams was in Potchefstroom in 2010, when South Africa won by 115 runs.

Team news and likely XIs

Bangladesh are likely to stick with their winning combination.

Bangladesh (probable): 1 Dilara Akter, 2 Juairiya Ferdous, 3 Sharmin Akhter, 4 Nigar Sultana (capt), 5 Sobhana Mostary, 6 Ritu Moni, 7 Shorna Akter, 8 Rabeya Khan, 9 Nahida Akter, 10 Marufa Akter, 11 Sanjida Akter Meghla

India could bring in Radha Yadav for legspinner Prema Rawat, who conceded 21 from her two overs on her debut against South Africa. Kranti Gaud could also come back, especially if India want to test the Bangladesh batters against high pace.

India (probable): 1 Shafali Verma, 2 Smriti Mandhana, 3 Jemimah Rodrigues, 4 Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), 5 Yastika Bhatia/Bharti Fulmali, 6 Richa Ghosh (wk), 7 Deepti Sharma, 8 Radha Yadav, 9 Kranti Gaud/Arundhati Reddy, 10 Nandani Sharma, 11 N Shree Charani

Netherlands could field an unchanged XI.

Netherlands (probable): 1 Heather Siegers, 2 Phebe Molkenboer, 3 Babette de Leede (capt, wk), 4 Sterre Kalis, 5 Robine Rijke, 6 Frederique Overdijk, 7 Iris Zwilling, 8 Myrthe van den Raad, 9 Caroline de Lange, 10 Silver Siegers, 11 Isabel van der Woning

South Africa could consider resting Marizanne Kapp, who was unwell before the India game. If they do so, Kayla Reyneke could get another chance.

South Africa (probable): 1 Laura Wolvaardt (capt), 2 Tazmin Brits, 3 Annerie Dercksen, 4 Marizanne Kapp/Kayla Reyneke, 5 Nadine de Klerk, 6 Chloe Tryon, 7 Dane van Niekerk, 8 Sinalo Jafta (wk), 9 Shabnim Ismail, 10 Ayabonga Khaka, 11 Nonkululeko Mlaba

Players to watch

Bangladesh opener Juairiya Ferdous started the tournament with a 33-ball 50 against Netherlands. Since then, she has made only 8 and 7 in her two outings. If Bangladesh are to challenge India, they will need a good start from Ferdous.

Jemimah Rodrigues has scored just 32 runs in three innings at a strike rate of 94.11. But she could be a key batter for India against Bangladesh’s spinners. Since the start of 2025, Rodrigues has averaged 40.85 and struck at 143.71 against spin in T20Is.

Netherlands captain Babette de Leede has been one of the most consistent batters this World Cup. In three games so far, she has scores of 50, 28 and 56 not out at a strike rate of 103.87. While her cautious approach is understandable, a little more intent could benefit the team immensely.

Shabnim Ismail reversed her retirement for this World Cup but has had a lukewarm tournament so far. In three games, she has picked up four wickets at an economy rate of 6.90. However, her express pace could create trouble for Netherlands, who might not be used to facing speeds over 110kph.

Weather and conditions

In Manchester, spinners have fared slightly better than fast bowlers this World Cup. They have picked up more wickets (22 vs 19), have a better strike rate (14.3 vs 19.6) and a better economy rate (7.19 vs 7.94). The temperature is likely to be around 31°C, too hot for the locals but should not be much of a problem for the two teams from the Indian subcontinent.

The India-Bangladesh match will be played on the same pitch where the India-South Africa was. So far, Bristol has hosted three games. In all three, the team winning the toss opted to chase and went on to win the match. But if South Africa want to improve their net run rate, batting first might not be a bad idea. It will also protect their fielders from the heat, with the temperature expected to be around 33°C during the first innings.

Hemant Brar is a sub-editor at Cricinfo

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