Women's T20 World Cup 2026: Netherlands win toss; elect to bowl first against India

Harmanpreet Kaur at the toss (Pic: BCCI)

The Netherlands won the toss and elected to bowl first against Team India at Headingly, Leeds. India is coming into the game having beaten arch-rivals Pakistan, while Netherlands lost their opening match against Bangladesh.

Team India is currently in the second spot in the table with 2 points from their only match. Meanwhile, the Netherlands are fourth after losing their only game so far in the World Cup. Australia lead the table with two wins out of two. A win for India today will put them level on points with the Australian team at the top of the table.

After winning the toss, Babette de Leede was happy to bowl first. The Dutch skipper said that she would prefer to chase the total set by the in-form Indian team after their heroics against Pakistan in the last match.

"We will bowl first. I think we will get something out of the wicket and hopefully chase the target later on. Super excited for this opportunity. Playing against India is a dream coming true, a little bit nervous as well. We made one change. We are playing an extra pacer and dropped a batter." Babette de Leede said.

Meanwhile, Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur admitted that her team will enjoy the challenge of batting first and putting a big score on the board. The Indian skipper also confirmed one change, with Nandini Sharma replacing Arundhati Reddy in the starting XI.

"Great opportunity to bat first, and we want to challenge ourselves. The powerplay with bat and ball is something we are looking forward to. Sticking to your own plans and batting as deep as possible is the key on this wicket. We have one change. Arundhati is resting today, and Nandni Sharma is back." Harmanpreet Kaur said.

Confirmed Playing XI for both teams:

India Women (Playing XI): Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana, Yastika Bhatia, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur(c), Richa Ghosh(w), Deepti Sharma, Shreyanka Patil, Shree Charani, Kranti Gaud, Nandani Sharma

Netherlands Women (Playing XI): Heather Siegers, Phebe Molkenboer, Babette de Leede(w/c), Sterre Kalis, Robine Rijke, Frederique Overdijk, Iris Zwilling, Myrthe van den Raad, Caroline de Lange, Silver Siegers, Isabel Woning