The Women's Cricket event at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou marks a significant return of women's cricket to the tournament after its last appearance in 2014. The women's T20 cricket competition is scheduled to run from September 19 to 25. Just like the men's tournament, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, the top-seeded teams, have received direct entry into the quarter-finals.

Pakistan secured both gold medals in the women's category in 2010 at Guangzhou and in 2014 at Incheon. However, there was no cricket played at the Jakarta-Palembang 2018 Asian Games.

Unfortunately, rain has been a persistent issue at the Asian Games, causing disruptions in both the men's and women's matches. The India vs. Malaysia women's cricket qualifier 1 match in Hangzhou had to be called off due to heavy rain, with Malaysia managing to play only two deliveries before the downpour returned. India, nevertheless, advanced to the semi-finals due to the unfavorable weather conditions. Similarly, the match between Indonesia and Pakistan was completely washed out, while the match between Bangladesh and Hong Kong was abandoned without a single ball being bowled. In one of the matches, Sri Lanka, led by Chamari Athapaththu, secured victory against Thailand by eight wickets.

Both Pakistan and Sri Lanka come into the tournament with winning momentum. Pakistan had recently achieved a clean sweep against South Africa in a three-match T20I series at home, while Sri Lanka, under the leadership of Chamari Athapaththu, defeated England 2-1 in a three-match T20I series in England.

The summit clash of the Asian Games 2023 Women's Cricket tournament is scheduled for Monday, September 25, with the third-place fixture also taking place on the same day.

Semi-final matches:

India will face off against Bangladesh on Sunday, September 24, at 6:30 am IST.

Pakistan will compete with Sri Lanka on Sunday, September 24, at 11:30 am IST.

TV channels and live-streaming: Fans in India can catch the live broadcast on Sony Sports Network through the following channels:

Ø  Sony Sports Ten 1 SD (English)

Ø  Sony Sports Ten 1 HD (English)

Ø  Sony Sports Ten 3 SD (Hindi)

Ø  Sony Sports Ten 3 HD (Hindi)

Ø  Sony Ten 4 SD (Tamil and Telugu)

Ø  Sony Ten 4 HD (Tamil and Telugu)

Live streaming will also be available on the Sony Liv app.

Full squads of qualifying teams:

India women's squad:

ü  Smriti Mandhana (c)

ü  Shafali Verma

ü  Jemimah Rodrigues

ü  Kanika Ahuja

ü  Richa Ghosh (wk)

ü  Deepti Sharma

ü  Devika Vaidya

ü  Amanjot Kaur

ü  Pooja Vastrakar

ü  Minnu Mani

ü  Rajeshwari Gayakwad

ü  Harmanpreet Kaur

ü  Uma Chetry

ü  Bareddy Anusha

ü  Anjali Sarvani

ü  Titas Sadhu

ü  Pakistan women's squad:

ü  Muneeba Ali (wk)

ü  Aliya Riaz

ü  Anosha Nasir

ü  Sadaf Shamas

ü  Shawaal Zulfiqar

ü  Sidra Ameen

ü  Nida Dar (c)

ü  Omaima Sohail

ü  Umm-e-Hani

ü  Natalia Pervaiz

ü  Najiha Alvi

ü  Sadia Iqbal

ü  Diana Baig

ü  Nashra Sandhu

ü  Syeda Aroob Shah

ü  Sri Lanka women's squad:

ü  Chamari Athapaththu (c)

ü  Anushka Sanjeewani (wk)

ü  Harshitha Samarawickrama

ü  Vishmi Gunaratne

ü  Hasini Perera

ü  Nilakshi de Silva

ü  Kavisha Dilhari

ü  Inoka Ranaweera

ü  Sugandika Kumari

ü  Udeshika Prabodhani

ü  Inoshi Priyadharshani

ü  Imesha Dulani

ü  Oshadi Ranasinghe

ü  Achini Kulasuriya

ü  Kaushani Nuthyangana

ü  Bangladesh women's squad:

ü  Fargana Hoque

ü  Sobhana Mostary

ü  Nigar Sultana (c)

ü  Ritu Moni

ü  Nahida Akter

ü  Shamima Sultana (wk)

ü  Fahima Khatun

ü  Lata Mondal

ü  Marufa Akter

ü  Sanjida Akter Meghla

ü  Rabeya Khan

ü  Disha Biswas

ü  Shorna Akter

ü  Sultana Khatun

ü  Shathi Rani

The return of women's cricket to the Asian Games is a momentous occasion for cricket fans, and these squads are set to compete for the coveted gold medal in Hangzhou.