India vs South Africa, Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 Highlights: Kapp powers SA to 6-wicket win over IND

Nandani Sharma bowls the last over, her first ball is a length ball outside off. Chloe Tryon threw her hand at it, it got a thick outside edge and flew past the wicketkeeper and to the boundary for four. That's the end of that, South Africa have won this and it is all because of Marizanne Kapp. She finishes unbeaten oin 81 off 45 balls. She first dug South Africa out of a hole and then almost nonchalantly continued on her own merry way whey they lost a couple of wickets at the other end towards the end of the chase.

The fall of those wickets at the other end has not flustered Kapp one bit. The veteran has gone her own merry way. Deepti Sharma bowls the 19th over. Two singles off the first two balls and then Kapp sweeps powerfully over Rodrigues on the ropes at deep midwicket for a six.

South Africa now need just 10 to win off nine balls.

Tazmin Brits holes out at deep backward square leg first ball after the final drinks break. Shafali Verma with the breakthrough! This was a drag-down, Brits pulls away but ends up finding the fielder with perfection.

Brits c Shree Charani b Shafali Verma 40 (36)

South Africa 122/3, need 37 to win from 23 balls

Oh the tide is turning quite comprehensively now. Shree Charani returns for her third over, having given away just two in her first two and she ends up being smashed for 13 runs by Kapp. First of all, Kapp is dropped by Radha Yadav at long on second ball. The veteran all-rounder rubs a lot of chilli in the Indian wounds by then sending the third ball over mid off for a four. Then there is a mix-up between the two batters next delivery, with Kapp working it to deep midwicket. They run two but there was plenty of stopping and stuttering from both players and Brits got home with a dive. Then kapp smashes the fifth over short fine leg for a four. Single to finish the over.

Kapp is on 38 off 27, Brits on 31 off 28.

South Africa 90/2 in 13 overs

South Africa's required rate is inching ever closer to 10 and they are still going at only about five runs an over. Deepti Sharma almost got Tazmine Brits off the last ball of the eighth over, with the ball floating just out of reach for Charani at short third. Then just five runs off the ninth by Arundhati.

South Africa 45/2 in 9 overs, need 114 to win from 66 balls.

Cleaned her up! Annerie Dercksen has to go without scoring. Tossed up full and drifting into middle and leg. Dercksen gives it the kitchen sink and misses it all ends up. The ball hits the top of off.

Dercksen b Shree Charani 0 (2)

South Africa 25/2 in 5.4 overs

It has been spin all the way from India, apart from one over for Arundhati Reddy in the third. Shree Charani gave just two runs in the fourth over and then Wolvaardt manages to get a four off the fourth ball by Shafali in the fifth over. What a start for India!

And so South Africa need to chase down a score of 159 to win this match. It is no small total but India looked capable of getting much more at the end of the powerplay. In the end, it was a stop-start innings but they do have something to defend here for sure.

... and it's Shabnim Ismail. One veteran takes out another and India are in all kinds of trouble here. Length ball around off, Harmanpreet unable to get on top of the bounce while trying to play it fine, chops it onto her own stumps.

Harmanpreet Kaur b Ismail 24 (22)

India 116/5 in 14.4 overs

De Klerk floats up the second ball of the 11th over on length on middle and leg. Rodrigues tries to work it leg side, gets a leading edge straight back to the bowler for an easy catch. India in a heap of trouble now.

Rodrigues c & b de Klerk 12 (14)

India 83/4 in 10.2 overs

Appeal for LBW and not given! It looks pretty plumb and South Africa review. There was no inside edge and so surely, that means curtains for Bhatia. There it is, ball-tracking shows three reds and Ayabonga Khaka strikes for South Africa. Length ball on middle, Bhatia tries to clip it through leg side, beaten by the extra pace.

And this brings history-maker Harmanpreet Kaur into the middle.

Bhatia lbw b Khaka 15 (13)

India 67/3 in 7.2 overs

Tryon bowls the next over and the first ball is dispatched through extra cover for four. Tryon then goes a little too full on leg, Shafali sweeps it behind square for another four. The third ball is tossed up on a length outside off, Shafali dances down the track and wallops it over long off for a six. A single off the next ball and two off the last.

Shafali is on 28 off 10, Yastika Bhatia at the other end on two off two.

India 47/1 in 4 overs

Shafali Verma slices her shot third ball but it evades cover-point and goes to the boundary for four runs. She takes a single next ball and then Mandhana drives the fifth ball through covers for four. Ismail responds with a bouncer but Mandhana was expecting that, leans back and pulls it through fine leg for another four.

India 23/0 in 2 overs

All righty then, let's get this party started. India and South Africa have played some huge matches in the recent past. Here comes another. Smriti Mandhana on strike with Shafali Verma at the other end, Marizanne Kapp steaming in.

And yes, before anyone comes saying, "Don't you mean the first in women's cricket?" and so on, she really is the first to do it. Period. The next highest is Suzie Bates of New Zealand with 184 caps. Among men, the highest is 163 caps won by Ireland's Paul Sterling. In the overall rankings, Sterling would be fifth after India's Smriti Mandhana (169), Australia's Elysse Perry (177), England's Dani Wyatt (183), Bates and Harmanpreet.

India: Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur(c), Richa Ghosh(w), Deepti Sharma, Prema Rawat, Arundhati Reddy, Shree Charani, Nandni Sharma

South Africa: Laura Wolvaardt(c), Tazmin Brits, Annerie Dercksen, Dane van Niekerk, Marizanne Kapp, Nadine de Klerk, Chloe Tryon(w), Sinalo Jafta, Shabnim Ismail, Ayabonga Khaka, Nonkululeko Mlaba

Well today's pitch report for Star Sports is being done by... an AI app? Well, talk about dystopia. Oh well, that was some advertising excercise, after the robotic AI voice has said its piece, the anchor moves to a very real and very human Veda Krishnamurthy. She feels it will be a good contest between bat and ball. "Excellent wicket to bat on. The grass is pretty thick which means there is something for the bowlers as well. But As it progresses, spinners will come into the picture. India going heavy with spin, South Africa with pace. With the warm conditions, it should be India being slightly ahead," she said.