Harmanpreet Kaur expects competitive Women's T20 Asia Cup as Asian teams improve rapidly

India captain Harmanpreet Kaur has said she expects the Women's T20 Asia Cup 2026 to be highly competitive, pointing to the rapid improvement of all Asian teams over the last two to three years. The tournament will begin on August 28 in the UAE and run until September 13, featuring eight teams: India, Pakistan, defending champions Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, hosts UAE, Thailand, Hong Kong and Indonesia.

India arrived in Dubai on August 26 and is placed in Group A alongside Pakistan, Thailand and Hong Kong. The side enters the tournament as ODI world champions and is considered among the frontrunners. Their first match is against Thailand on August 30, with the high-profile India versus Pakistan clash scheduled for September 5. Harmanpreet said the Asia Cup provides a genuine test for any side.

"Asia Cup is a platform where you can really test yourself and put yourself under a lot of pressure to perform at a level which you expect a lot from you. This tournament is very important for us as a team to do well. Especially all the teams, they are the ones in the last two-three years we have seen massive improvement. And whenever we are playing against them, they are not giving anything easy to us. This is going to be very challenging, but at the same time, our experience will help us," Harmanpreet said in the captains' press conference, as quoted by India Today.

Why is Harmanpreet not focusing on any one opponent?

Harmanpreet made clear that India will not single out any particular team, including Pakistan, as a priority fixture. India had a disappointing 2026 T20 World Cup campaign, going out in the group stage, and Harmanpreet acknowledged that the experience gathered from past matches would be an asset in UAE. The squad's attention, she stressed, is firmly on their own performance rather than on the identity of the opposition.

"We are not putting any focus on one particular team, which is going to be tough for us. All the teams have been doing well and our focus is to play good cricket and not to take any team easily. Our main focus is just playing cricket, other than giving focus to the other impact of the game," she said.

How is India preparing for UAE conditions?

India had not yet trained on the match venues when Harmanpreet spoke to the media, having arrived only the day before. She noted that two other teams would play before India's first fixture, giving the side an opportunity to observe the pitch and conditions before finalising their plans, and also expressed hope for strong crowd support. Harmanpreet also backed her squad after former India captain Anjum Chopra raised questions about the selection.

"We just reached yesterday (Wednesday) and haven't seen the field yet. But tomorrow (Friday) when we train, even a good thing is that two teams are playing before us. So we will get to see a lot of things and then understand how the conditions are going to be. And then accordingly, we'll make the plan. As a cricketer, we always want to see packed stadiums. Fans are coming and supporting us. Hopefully, this Asia Cup, we have the same packed stadiums," she said.

"I don't know what you're talking about, but I think we have picked the best team and they have given very impressive performances. That's why they are here. I'm sure that whenever we go to the field, we'll play our best cricket," she added.