India kept their semi-final qualification hopes alive at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 with a five-wicket win over Bangladesh at Old Trafford, chasing down 136 with 19 balls to spare. The scorecard read comfortably enough — India 139 for 5 beat Bangladesh 136 for 8 — but the match itself was anything but clinical, with missed chances in the field and a stuttering middle phase in the chase.
Shafali Verma anchored the pursuit with 53, her second half-century of the tournament in three innings, before captain Harmanpreet Kaur finished the job. Earlier, India’s spinners, led by Radha Yadav’s 3 for 28, pulled Bangladesh back late to keep them to a below-par total on a flat surface.
The result left India two points clear of South Africa and Bangladesh in second place in Group 1, with a major clash against Australia looming on Sunday. Bangladesh, meanwhile, still had a path forward but saw their chances reduced ahead of a final group match against South Africa on Sunday at Lord’s.
Bangladesh’s start, India’s drops, and a late spin squeeze
India’s fielding began shakily under the sun, with three catches dropped in the space of four balls during the powerplay. After Renuka Singh (in for Arundhati Reddy) had Dilara Akter caught at deep square leg, Juairiya Ferdous capitalised, striking a straight drive for four in the fourth over.
Radha Yadav then put down a straightforward chance at deep midwicket off Ferdous, turning what could have been a wicket into four runs. In the next over, Nandani Sharma spilled two opportunities — first at cover off Sobhana Mostary on 1, and then again after being moved to short third when Ferdous skied a sweep. Both batters made India pay, with Ferdous and Mostary finding boundaries to keep the scoring rate healthy.
Even beyond the missed catches, India struggled to consistently nail their lines and lengths as Ferdous and Mostary kept the scoreboard moving. The second-wicket stand crossed 50 before Nandani finally held on — taking a sharp return catch to remove Ferdous for 33.
Deepti Sharma followed up by taking a catch at mid-off to dismiss Mostary for 22, but Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana ensured there was no prolonged slowdown. She lifted the tempo with a 17-run 14th over against Nandani, finding gaps at the start and end of the over to push Bangladesh towards a competitive finish.
With Bangladesh threatening to breach 140, India’s spinners dragged things back decisively. Deepti tightened the run flow, while Radha — brought into the XI for Prema Rawat — combined with Shree Charani to trigger a late collapse. Bangladesh lost 5 for 28 in the final four overs, slipping to 136 for 8 and leaving India a chase that looked manageable, if not entirely straightforward.
Bangladesh 136/8; India 139/5
Bangladesh’s innings featured contributions from Ferdous (33) and Sultana (32), but the late squeeze meant they finished below par. For India, Radha’s 3 for 28 stood out as the key spell in the closing stages.
Shafali’s powerplay blitz sets it up, India wobble before closing out
Bangladesh also offered early chances in the chase. Sultana dropped Shafali on 4 in the first over, and Smriti Mandhana benefited from an under-edge that ran away for four, both off Marufa Akter. Bangladesh, however, responded quickly in the field when Rabeya Khan took a forward-diving catch at cover to remove Mandhana and end the opening stand at 31.
Shafali had dominated the strike from the start and quickly found her range, striking a six over long-on and driving through the off side to keep India ahead of the required rate. She repeatedly pierced the cover region with strong bottom-hand shots, and by the end of the powerplay India had surged to 63 — with Shafali’s boundary count in the first six overs (seven fours and a six) outstripping Bangladesh’s entire powerplay boundary output.
After Shafali brought up her fifty off 29 balls with a four off Rabeya, India appeared set for a comfortable finish. Instead, the chase again showed signs of the batting issues that had followed India through the tournament. Shafali was stumped for 53, and India promoted Richa Ghosh above Jemimah Rodrigues in an apparent push to finish quickly. Ghosh struck a couple of boundaries, but both she and Yastika Bhatia fell in consecutive overs before India had reached 100.
At 98 for 4, India were still well placed but offered Bangladesh openings through run-out chances that went begging. Rodrigues survived when Nahida Akter failed to collect a throw at the keeper’s end, and Harmanpreet escaped when Shorna Akter missed a direct hit at the bowler’s end.
Rodrigues then counterpunched, scoring 20 off her next five balls with a six and three fours to bring India within nine runs of victory. She fell soon after, skying a catch to short third, but Harmanpreet and Deepti Sharma completed the chase in the 17th over to secure the five-wicket win and keep India’s semi-final push on track.