London, June 28, 2026: Australia stormed into the semi-finals of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 with a six-wicket victory over India at Lord’s on Sunday, eliminating the former champions from the tournament and sending South Africa through alongside the unbeaten Australians from Group A.
Chasing a challenging target of 171, Australia reached 171-4 in the 19th over, powered by outstanding half-centuries from Ellyse Perry and Ashleigh Gardner.
Perry anchored the chase with a fluent 56 off 38 deliveries, striking eight fours, while Gardner remained unbeaten on a blistering 53 from just 29 balls, smashing three fours and three sixes to guide Australia home with an over to spare.
Phoebe Litchfield contributed a valuable 24 off 25 balls, including two fours and two sixes, while wicketkeeper-batter Beth Mooney added 22 from 20 deliveries with two boundaries.
For India, Shree Charani was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 2-32 from her four overs, while Renuka Singh and Deepti Sharma claimed one wicket each.
Earlier, India posted a competitive 170-4 after being sent in to bat, thanks to an impressive batting display led by captain Harmanpreet Kaur.
Openers Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma provided a solid platform with a 66-run opening partnership before Sophie Molineux dismissed Verma for a quickfire 34 off 26 balls, an innings that included three fours and two sixes.
Mandhana made 38 from 37 deliveries, hitting six boundaries before being run out, while Jemimah Rodrigues contributed 34 off 28 balls before retiring out after striking one four and one six.
Kaur then accelerated the innings with a superb unbeaten 56 off just 27 deliveries, hammering six fours and three sixes to lift India to a formidable total.
Sophie Molineux was Australia’s only wicket-taker, finishing with figures of 2-46 from her four overs.
The victory ensured Australia maintained their unbeaten record in Group A and advanced comfortably to the semi-finals, while India’s defeat ended their Women’s T20 World Cup campaign. South Africa also progressed from the group after India’s elimination.
