India Women crushed Bangladesh Women by five wickets in the 23rd match of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 at Stretford. After being asked to bat first, Bangladesh Women managed to post 136/8 in their 20 overs. After losing an early wicket in the second over, Juairiya Ferdous and Sobhana Mostary added 51 runs for the second wicket. Bangladesh struggled throughout the innings and failed to accelerate the scoring rate. Radha Yadav (3/28 in 4 overs) and Shree Charani (2/21 in 4 overs) dismantled Bangladesh Women's middle and lower order and did not allow them to score freely.

While chasing, Shafali Verma gave India Women a flying start. Smriti Mandhana lost her wicket in the third over to Marufa Akter, but Shafali continued her aggressive batting and scored a blazing 53 off 34 balls before being dismissed by Nahida Akter (1/24 in 3.5 overs) in the ninth over. India Women were cruising at 94/2 after 11 overs, but Bangladesh Women struck twice in the next eight deliveries to create some pressure.

Jemimah Rodrigues and Harmanpreet Kaur then guided India Women closer to the target. Rodrigues was dismissed by Ritu Moni (2/29 in 4 overs) in the 16th over, but by then India Women were firmly in control. Harmanpreet Kaur and Deepti Sharma completed the chase with 19 balls to spare.

With this victory, India Women strengthened their chances of qualifying for the semi-finals. On the other hand, Bangladesh Women's hopes of reaching the semi-finals are now very slim, as their qualification also depends on the results of other matches.

India Make a Poor Start in the Field

India's fielding let them down badly during the opening overs. Renuka Singh, who replaced Arundhati Reddy in the playing XI, struck early by dismissing Dilara Akter with a catch at deep square leg.

However, Bangladesh quickly capitalised on India's mistakes. Juairiya Ferdous attacked Renuka with a straight boundary before India missed three catching opportunities in the space of four deliveries.

Radha Yadav dropped a simple catch of Ferdous at deep midwicket after already missing two chances in India's previous match against South Africa. Soon after, Nandani Sharma failed to hold catches offered by both Sobhana Mostary and Ferdous in consecutive overs.

Bangladesh made full use of those chances. Ferdous hit another boundary immediately after being dropped, while Mostary also found regular boundaries to keep the scoreboard moving. Bangladesh reached a healthy scoring rate during the powerplay as India's sloppy fielding continued.

Indian Bowlers Recover After Bangladesh Build Momentum

India also struggled with their bowling lengths during the middle overs. Ferdous played several aggressive strokes, while Mostary continued scoring freely as Bangladesh built an important second-wicket partnership worth over 50 runs. India finally got a breakthrough when Nandani Sharma safely held a return catch to dismiss Ferdous for 33.

Soon after, Deepti Sharma removed Mostary for 22 with a simple catch at mid-off. Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana then ensured her team maintained momentum by finding gaps regularly. She collected valuable boundaries during a 17-run over against Nandani, helping Bangladesh look capable of crossing 140. However, India's spinners completely changed the game during the closing overs.

Deepti controlled the scoring, while Radha Yadav, who replaced Prema Rawat in the side, and Shree Charani triggered a dramatic collapse. Bangladesh lost five wickets for just 28 runs in the final four overs, finishing with a below-par total of 136/8.

Shafali Gives India a Flying Start

Bangladesh also missed important opportunities during India's chase. Captain Nigar Sultana dropped Shafali Verma when she was on just four in the opening over. Bangladesh also conceded an early boundary after Smriti Mandhana edged a delivery from Marufa Akter.

Despite those mistakes, Bangladesh soon struck back. Rabeya Khan produced an excellent diving catch at cover to dismiss Mandhana at the end of the third over and break the opening partnership of 31 runs.

Shafali, however, continued attacking from the other end. She dominated the strike early and played powerful shots through the straight field. She smashed a six over long-on before driving confidently through the covers and mid-off.

Bangladesh struggled to contain her aggressive batting. Shafali repeatedly found the boundary with her trademark bottom-handed strokes. She also struck consecutive fours off Sanjida Akter over mid-off.

India raced to 63 runs in the powerplay, with Shafali contributing seven fours and one six. Bangladesh had managed only five boundaries during their own first six overs.

India Lose Their Way Before Finishing the Chase

Shafali reached her half-century from only 29 balls after punching Rabeya Khan for another boundary. India looked set for a straightforward victory at that stage. Instead, their batting concerns resurfaced once again. Shafali was stumped for 53 after believing she had edged the ball past the wicketkeeper. India promoted Richa Ghosh ahead of Jemimah Rodrigues in an attempt to improve their net run rate.

Although Ghosh began with two boundaries, both she and Yastika Bhatia were dismissed in quick succession before India reached the 100-run mark. At 98/4, the chase became more complicated than expected. Bangladesh also missed two excellent run-out opportunities.

First, Rodrigues almost collided with Harmanpreet Kaur while running between the wickets. Nahida Akter failed to gather the throw cleanly, allowing Rodrigues to dive safely back into her crease. Just four balls later, Harmanpreet would also have been out comfortably at the bowler's end if Shorna Akter had managed a direct hit. Those missed chances proved costly.

Rodrigues then eased India's nerves by scoring 20 runs from her next five deliveries, including one six and three boundaries, bringing the target within touching distance. Although Rodrigues departed for a useful cameo after hitting a catch to short third, Harmanpreet Kaur and Deepti Sharma completed the chase comfortably in the 17th over, sealing an important five-wicket victory that keeps India's semi-final hopes firmly alive.

Brief Scorecard