2 min readJun 28, 2026 10:40 PM IST
First published on: Jun 28, 2026 at 10:15 PM IST
The Indian women’s cricket team crashed out of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 on Sunday after falling short against old rivals Australia in a must-win Group A clash at Lord’s in London.
Half-centuries from veteran Australians Ellyse Perry and Ashleigh Gardner powered Australia past India’s total, as the six-time champions chased down 171, what initially looked like a stiff target in just 19 overs with six wickets remaining.
Pacer Renuka Singh gave India early hope by dismissing opener Georgia Voll in the very first over, much to the delight of the large crowd in London. Beth Mooney and Phoebe Litchfield then steadied the innings, but India kept things tight with disciplined bowling and sharp fielding.
The spin duo of Sree Charani and Deepti Sharma picked up a wicket each, removing Litchfield and Mooney respectively. However, that proved to be India’s final moment of joy as Perry and Gardner produced an elite batting display, taking Australia to the brink of their seventh World Cup title.
AS IT HAPPENED: INDIA VS AUSTRALIA WOMEN’S T20 WORLD CUP 2026 HIGHLIGHTS
India needed a win to qualify for the semifinals. South Africa’s earlier four-wicket victory over Bangladesh had moved them to eight points, putting pressure on India to secure a result.
Earlier, captain Harmanpreet Kaur’s gritty half-century powered India to 170 for 4, though the rest of the batting lineup struggled for acceleration.
Openers Smriti Mandhana (38) and Shafali Verma (34) gave India a solid start, adding 66 runs. But safety seemed to be their priority over quick scoring, with the run rate never really climbing past seven. There were occasional bursts of aggression – Shafali hit two sixes off off-spinner Ashleigh Gardner, while Mandhana struck successive fours off pacer Kim Garth – but India never quite managed to shift gears.
Shafali was cleaned up by Aussie skipper Sophie Molineux whereas Mandhana was unfortune to be run out as India lost two quick wickets in the middle overs. Jemimah Rodrigues alongwith Harman held fort before the former was retired out. Harman took the onus of accelerating and slammed three back-to-back sixes in the final over, taking India to a fighting total.
India are knocked out of Women's T20 World Cup after losing to Australia.(AP) 
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