Manchester, June 26: India secured a thrilling victory against Bangladesh in the 23rd match of the Women’s T20 World Cup 2026, winning by 5 wickets. This win keeps the hopes of the ‘Women in Blue’ alive for a spot in the semifinals. Shefali Verma was named ‘Player of the Match’ for her explosive innings of 53 runs off just 34 balls.
With three wins out of four matches, the Indian team currently sits second in Group A. They will face Australia in their final league match on June 28. Australia leads the group, having won all four of their matches, while South Africa holds third place with two wins from three matches. Bangladesh, with two losses out of four, is in fourth place. Pakistan and the Netherlands have been eliminated from title contention.
Batting first after losing the toss at Emirates Old Trafford, Bangladesh managed to score 136 runs while losing 8 wickets. They lost their first wicket early, with Dilara Akhtar dismissed for just 4 runs. Following this, Shobhana Mostari partnered with Jueria Firdaus to add 51 runs for the second wicket off 41 balls.
Firdaus scored 33 runs from 31 balls, hitting 5 fours, before captain Nigar Sultana took charge. She contributed with Shobhana (22) for a 20-run partnership for the third wicket and added 27 runs with Sharmeen Akhtar (10) to help Bangladesh cross the century mark. Nigar scored 32 runs off 27 balls, including 4 fours.
For India, Radha Yadav was the standout bowler, taking 3 wickets for 28 runs, while Shree Charani claimed 2 wickets. Renuka Thakur and Nandini Sharma each took 1 wicket.
In response, India chased down the target in just 16.5 overs. Smriti Mandhana and Shefali Verma put together a solid opening partnership of 31 runs off 18 balls before Mandhana was dismissed for 8 runs.
Shefali then built a crucial partnership of 45 runs with Yastika Bhatia for the second wicket, scoring 53 runs with 1 six and 8 fours off 34 balls. However, India lost 4 wickets quickly, reaching a score of 98.
Captain Harmanpreet Kaur then partnered with Jemimah Rodrigues to add 30 runs for the fifth wicket, bringing India closer to victory. Rodrigues scored 26 runs off 15 balls before being dismissed, while Kaur remained unbeaten on 13, guiding her team to a comfortable win alongside Deepti Sharma, who scored 5 runs. Ritu Moni was the top wicket-taker for Bangladesh with 2 wickets, while Marufa Akhtar, Rabia Khan, and Nahida Akhtar each took 1 wicket.
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