England to face Sri Lanka in Women’s T20 WC opener:British actress Emma Kingston will perform at the opening ceremony

The Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 is set to begin today. The first match of the tournament will be played between England and Sri Lanka in Birmingham. This match will start at 11 PM Indian time. Before this match, there will be an opening ceremony, where British actress Emma Kingston and actress-singer Zizi Strallen will perform. England will be captained by Nat Sciver-Brunt, while Sri Lanka will be led by Chamari Athapaththu. Head to Head England has the upper hand In T20 International matches, England has had the upper hand over Sri Lanka. So far, 12 matches have been played between them. England has won 10 of these matches, while Sri Lanka has only managed to win 2. In terms of T20 World Cup, England and Sri Lanka have faced each other twice. England has won both times. Top players of both teams Danni Wyatt scored the most runs, Sophie Ecclestone best bowler Danni Wyatt Hodge has been the highest run-scorer for England in T20s. She has scored 3369 runs in 180 matches at a strike rate of 129.03. Her best score during this period has been 124 runs. Bowler Sophie Ecclestone has been England’s top wicket-taker. She has taken 144 wickets in 106 T20 matches, conceding runs at an economy of 6.03. Her best bowling performance is 4 wickets for 18 runs. Chamari Athapaththu: Sri Lanka’s trump card The Sri Lankan team largely depends on its captain Chamari Athapaththu. Records also suggest the same. All-rounder Athapaththu has scored the most runs for the team and also taken the most wickets. In T20s, she has scored the most runs, 3752, in 157 matches with a strike rate of 110.9. During this, 119* runs is her best score. In the same number of matches, she has also taken 71 wickets with an economy of 6.66. Her best bowling performance has been 4 wickets for 29 runs. Where to watch the tournament? In India, viewers can watch the live telecast of all World Cup matches on Star Sports Network and JioHotstar. Additionally, ICC.TV will also live stream the tournament. Live updates, records, and moments of the match can also be read on the Bhaskar English app. Possible playing-11 of both teams England Women: Nat Sciver-Brunt (Captain), Amy Jones, Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Alice Capsey, Heather Knight, Charlotte Dean (Vice-Captain), Danielle Gibson, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Bell, Issy Wong, Lauren Filer. Sri Lanka Women: Chamari Athapaththu (Captain), Vishmi Gunaratne, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Hasini Perera, Nilakshika Silva, Kavisha Dilhari, Kaushini Nuthyangana, Sugandika Kumari, Kavya Kavindi, Imesha Dulani, Chetna Vimukthi.