IND vs PAK: Harmanpreet Kaur becomes 1st player in the world to play 150 T20I matches as captain

India captain Harmanpreet Kaur stormed into history books during India's Women's Asia Cup 2026 Group A clash against Pakistan in Dubai, becoming the first player across both men's and women's cricket to captain a side in 150 T20 Internationals. Stepping out to lead her nation for the landmark fixture, the Indian skipper brought a stellar leadership record into the game, having already secured 86 outright victories from her previous 149 matches as captain.

Harmanpreet Kaur turns first captain to play 150 T20I matches as captain

Her achievement sets a towering benchmark that sits far clear of her closest peers in the women's game. Sri Lanka's Chamari Athapaththu occupies the second spot with 121 T20Is as captain, while Rwanda's Marie Bimenyimana (101) and Australia's legendary skipper Meg Lanning (100) round out the top four. Harmanpreet's longevity is even more pronounced when compared to the men's game, where no captain has reached the 100-match threshold. Namibia's Gerhard Erasmus leads the men's list with 91 T20Is as captain, closely followed by Rwanda's Clinton Rubagumya on 90.

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Already holding the overall appearance record in women's T20 Internationals, Harmanpreet has also amassed 3,301 runs as skipper, placing her second on the all-time run-scoring list for WT20I captains. Both teams will field unchanged line-ups at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium for this marquee Group A clash. India comes into the fixture keeping their winning side intact, while Pakistan relies on the same XI that earned them a victory over Thailand on Tuesday. Winning the toss in this high-intensity encounter, Pakistan skipper Fatima Sana elected to bat first. The decision mirrors their tactics from the Thailand fixture, where the Women in Green opted to set a total but struggled with the bat, managing just 119/9 in their 20 overs.

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India Women (Playing XI):

Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Pratika Rawal, Harmanpreet Kaur(c), Bharti Fulmali, Richa Ghosh(w), Deepti Sharma, Prema Rawat, Nandani Sharma, Shree Charani, Kranti Gaud

Pakistan Women (Playing XI):

Muneeba Ali(w), Shawaal Zulfiqar, Gull Feroza, Ayesha Zafar, Sadaf Shamas, Fatima Sana(c), Umm-e-Hani, Eyman Fatima, Tuba Hassan, Nashra Sandhu, Sadia Iqbal