England Women vs India Women Prediction, 1st T20I – Who will win today’s match between ENG W vs IND W?

The preparations for the 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup take centre stage when India Women take on hosts England Women in a three-match T20I series, starting from Thursday, May 28. The first game is set to take place at the home of the Essex County Cricket Club at Chelmsford. 

England come on the back of beating New Zealand Women 2-1 in their recently concluded series. The Lionesses secured an emphatic seven-wicket victory in Hove after bundling the White Ferns for just 80 runs in the first innings. 

India, meanwhile, suffered a daunting 4-1 defeat at the hands of South Africa and are therefore not coming into their tour to England in the best of form. The Women in Blue need to find their feet before they aim to win their maiden T20 world title. 

ENG W vs IND W: Match Details

County Ground, Chelmsford: Pitch Report

The pitch in Chelmsford offers assistance for both batters and bowlers. The batting side tends to have the advantage during the start of the game, before bowlers come into the proceedings as the match progresses. 

The County Ground is a happy hunting ground for England. They have played 14 T20Is in Essex, winning 12 matches along the way. This includes beating India twice, with their most recent triumph coming in 2021. 

ENG W vs IND W: Head-to-Head T20I Record

ENG W vs IND W: Predicted Playing XIs

England Women: 

Sophia Dunkley, Alice Capsey, Maia Bouchier, Heather Knight, Freya Kemp, Danielle Gibson, Amy Jones (WK), Charlie Dean (C), Issy Wong, Sophie Ecclestone, Linsey Smith

India Women:

Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Harleen Deol, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (WK), Shree Charani, Kranti Gaud, Nandni Sharma, Renuka Singh Thakur

ENG W vs IND W: Probable Best Performer of the Match

Probable Best Batter: Harmanpreet Kaur

India captain Harmanpreet Kaur will be one of her side’s main batters, not only during the three-match series against England, but also in the upcoming Women’s T20 World Cup. The right-handed batter was India’s leading run-scorer in their disappointing series defeat at the hands of South Africa. She scored 169 runs from five innings at an average of 42.25. This included hitting 66 in the third T20I in Johannesburg. 

Probable Best Batter: Linsey Smith

Named Player of the Series against New Zealand, Linsey Smith showcased her spin-bowling prowess by taking six wickets from three matches. She bowled at an impressive economy rate of just 4.16. She registered her best figures of the series in the second T20I in Canterbury, ending the game with 3 for 25.