Manchester, June 21: In the 18th match of the Women’s T20 World Cup 2026, India has set a target of 159 runs for South Africa. The Indian team is aiming for a hat-trick of victories in this Group A encounter.
Winning the toss at Emirates Old Trafford, India opted to bat first and scored 158 runs while losing 7 wickets in their allotted overs. The opening pair of Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma contributed 30 runs for the first wicket in just 18 balls.
Mandhana returned to the pavilion after scoring 17 runs off 12 balls, including three boundaries. Following her dismissal, Shafali added 24 runs with Yastika Bhatia for the second wicket. Shafali was the second wicket to fall, making 31 runs off 15 balls, featuring one six and four fours.
The team faced a series of wickets at regular intervals, with India losing its fourth wicket at a score of 83 in just 10.2 overs. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur then partnered with Deepti Sharma to add 33 runs for the fifth wicket in 26 balls, helping the team cross the hundred mark.
Kaur scored 24 runs off 22 balls, including two fours, before being dismissed. Deepti Sharma contributed 29 runs off 21 balls, hitting three fours, in a partnership of 21 runs with Richa Ghosh for the sixth wicket. Ghosh added 15 runs to the team’s total.
For South Africa, Marizanne Kapp and Shabnim Ismail each took two wickets, while Nonkululeko Mlaba, Ayabonga Khaka, and Nadine de Klerk claimed one wicket each.
India’s Playing XI: Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wicketkeeper), Deepti Sharma, Prema Rawat, Arundhati Reddy, Shree Charani, and Nandini Sharma.
South Africa’s Playing XI: Laura Wolvaardt (captain), Tazmin Brits, Anneke Bosch, Dane van Niekerk, Marizanne Kapp, Nadine de Klerk, Chloe Tryon, Sinalo Jafta (wicketkeeper), Shabnim Ismail, Ayabonga Khaka, and Nonkululeko Mlaba.
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