Ellyse Perry and Ash Gardner steered Australia through a tense chase of 171 as they beat India by six wickets at Lord’s, finishing on 172 for 4 to knock India out of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026. India had posted 170 for 4, their highest total against Australia at women’s T20 World Cups, but Australia’s experienced pair closed the game with half-centuries in what was described as the biggest chase in the tournament’s history.
The result also decided the Group A qualifiers: Australia and South Africa progressed to the semi-finals, where they will face West Indies and England respectively at The Oval.
India’s 170 built on a steady start and a late Harmanpreet surge
India’s innings began with a watchful approach from Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana, who largely stayed circumspect through the powerplay. Mandhana worked the legside boundary with four fours when she was offered pads, while Shafali attacked the offside, including taking on Gardner with a four and a six in the fourth over. The pair avoided major risks, and Australia went wicketless in the powerplay, a notable shift given the teams’ recent meetings.
Shafali continued to target Gardner in the ninth over with another burst that included a six and a four, but Australia struck immediately after as captain Sophie Molineux knocked over Shafali’s off stump first ball. Jemimah Rodrigues began brightly with an inside-out boundary, but a mix-up with Mandhana cost India another wicket as Rodrigues failed to respond to Mandhana’s call, sending the opener back for 38 off 37.
With the scoring rate hovering just over seven, Harmanpreet Kaur lifted the tempo. Australia’s hard lengths and the slightly slow pitch kept India from running away, and after Molineux’s boundary-less 18th over India were 134 for 2, with the third-wicket stand past 50. Then came the decisive late burst.
Harmanpreet’s acceleration included drama in the field. Rodrigues received two lives in two balls: a pull to deep square leg went through Georgia Wareham’s hands for six, and Nicola Carey then put down a tougher diving chance from long-off. India opted to retire out Rodrigues to bring in Richa Ghosh, but the final over belonged to Harmanpreet. She launched three sixes in a row, with another lapse as the third went through Phoebe Litchfield’s hands over her head. Harmanpreet’s two straight sixes brought up a 25-ball half-century, the quickest by an Indian at women’s T20 World Cups, before she was caught by Perry at mid-off for 56 off 27. Deepti Sharma’s top edge off the final ball completed a 23-run over and pushed India to 170 for 4, a total that had looked out of reach earlier.
Australia’s chase starts briskly despite an early wicket
Australia’s reply featured early momentum swings. Georgia Voll opened with a boundary, but Renuka Singh struck next ball, trapping her lbw after a review overturned the on-field decision. Phoebe Litchfield responded with back-to-back fours off Kranti Gaud, before Renuka and Shafali tightened things with a pair of overs that conceded only a single each. Beth Mooney then broke a run of 13 boundary-less balls with two leg-side boundaries off Renuka, and Litchfield added a straight six during a 12-run Shafali over as Australia reached 49 in the powerplay.
Perry and Gardner take control after India’s spinners land key blows
India pulled the game back through the middle. Shree Charani, India’s leading wicket-taker at the tournament, removed Litchfield, who had returned to the XI after missing three games with injury, as she shanked a catch to Mandhana at long-off for 24. Three overs later Mooney skied one off Deepti, leaving Australia with 99 to get from the last 10 overs.
From there, Perry and Gardner combined composure with timely aggression. Perry worked gaps on either side of the pitch, while Gardner repeatedly took the aerial route. The chase threatened to drift when Australia needed 86 from 48, but a decisive over swung it back: Gardner hit a four and a six off consecutive balls as Radha erred in length, and Perry followed with a four in a 17-run over.
Two overs later, Gardner slog-swept Charani for six and Perry added another boundary in a 16-run over, reducing the target to 46 from 30. As India rotated bowlers and pressure showed through the odd misfield, the boundaries came more freely. Perry brought up her half-century from 33 balls with a straight boundary, and Gardner followed with her fifty off 28 balls in the 18th over.
Wareham finishes the chase as Australia and South Africa advance
Perry fell in the penultimate over for 56, but the work had been done. With the equation down sharply after a key Renuka over went for 17, Georgia Wareham struck the winning runs to complete Australia’s 172 for 4 and seal a six-wicket win.
The outcome ended India’s campaign, marking the second T20 World Cup in a row in which they failed to reach the knockouts after losing their last league match to Australia. It also confirmed Australia and South Africa as the Group A qualifiers, setting up semi-final meetings with West Indies and England at The Oval.
