London: Australia defeated India by six wickets in their final Group A match of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 at Lord’s on Sunday, ending India’s campaign and booking a place in the semi-finals with an unbeaten record.
Facing a must-win situation to qualify for the last four, India fell short as Australia chased down the target of 171 runs with four wickets in hand in the 19th over. The successful chase of 172 runs is the highest in the history of the Women’s T20 World Cup.
Earlier in the day, South Africa strengthened their position in the group with a victory over Bangladesh, leaving India needing a win to stay alive in the tournament. India’s earlier defeat to South Africa also proved costly.
Australia lost an early wicket when Renuka Singh Thakur trapped Georgia Voll leg-before in the opening over. However, the Australian batters recovered quickly, reaching 49/1 at the end of the powerplay. India had scored 43 without loss during their first six overs.
Deepti Sharma dismissed Beth Mooney to become the leading wicket-taker in women’s international cricket with 356 international wickets.
India had reduced Australia to 72/3 after 10 overs, but a match-winning 100-run partnership between Ellyse Perry and Ashleigh Gardner turned the contest in Australia’s favour. Both batters scored half-centuries and guided Australia to 166/3 after 18 overs before completing the chase comfortably.
Earlier, India opted to bat first after winning the toss, with captain Harmanpreet Kaur choosing to set a target on a batting-friendly surface.
