India Women will take on Zimbabwe Women in the first T20I of the three-game series at Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur on Friday, October 16.
India Women are entering this series on the back of an Asian Games gold medal victory after defeating Sri Lanka Women in the final last month. On the other hand, Zimbabwe Women suffered a 0-3 T20I series defeat to the West Indies at home in September 2026.
IND-W vs ZIM-W, T20I Series 2026, Match 1, Match Details
Match: India Women vs Zimbabwe Women, T20I Series 2026, Match 1
Time & Date: 7:00 PM IST, Friday, October 16
Venue: Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium, Raipur
IND-W vs ZIM-W, T20I Series 2026, Match 1 Pitch Report
The surface in Raipur is expected to assist batters comparatively. However, slow bowlers are anticipated to have their fair share in the middle overs. Any score above 180 would be a tough ask for the team batting second.
IND-W vs ZIM-W, T20I Series 2026, Match 1 Probable XIs
India Women
Smriti Mandhana (c), Shafali Verma, Anushka Sharma, Gunalan Kamalini, Harmanpreet Kaur, Richa Ghosh (wk), Deepti Sharma, Prema Rawat, Shree Charani, Nandani Sharma, Kranti Gaud
Zimbabwe Women
Kelis Ndhlovu, Beloved Biza, Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano, Josephine Nkomo (c), Chiedza Dhururu (wk), Nyasha Gwanzura, Michelle Mavunga, Loryn Phiri, Tendai Makusha, Kudzai Chigora, Nomvelo Sibanda
IND-W vs ZIM-W, T20I Series 2026, Match 1 Winner Prediction
Match Winner: India Women
The two sides are yet to face each other in T20I cricket. With India Women enjoying home advantage and possessing greater experience, they are expected to secure a comfortable victory and take a 1-0 lead in the series.
