The Indian cricket team slumped to its first loss of the Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 after losing to South Africa by six wickets in its third Group 1 fixture at Old Trafford in Manchester on Sunday.
World No. 3 India struggled to build any meaningful partnerships and limped to 158/7 in 20 overs with Shafali Verma top scoring with 31.
The Proteas Women, fifth in the rankings, suffered some early blows but completed the chase comfortably in the end, thanks to an unbeaten 45-ball 81 from Marizanne Kapp, who had also scalped a couple of wickets with the ball earlier.
With two big wins, including the one against Pakistan by 64 runs in their opener, India are still second in the Group 1 table with four points and a net run rate of 2.511.
The Proteas rose to third after the win and have as many points but an inferior NRR of -0.546.
After India elected to bat first, both openers got starts but failed to convert them into big scores.
The in-form Smriti Mandhana, who had scored fifties in India’s first two matches, managed 17 off 12 before losing her stumps in the third over while trying to manufacture a boundary against Marizanne Kapp.
Shafali Verma was looking rather dangerous on 31 off just 15 balls before being undone by Shabnim Ismail’s short and rising delivery in the final over of powerplay.
Yastika Bhatia was also trapped LBW a couple of overs later as India found themselves at 67/3.
Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur, playing her 200th T20 international match, looked to rebuild with Jemimah Rodrigues but the recovery was short-lived as Nadine de Klerk sent back the latter for 12.
It proved to be the story of the Indian innings as the Proteas bowlers kept picking up wickets at regular intervals, never letting any Indian partnership flourish.
A 33-run stand between Harmanpreet (24) and Deepti Sharma (29) for the fifth wicket proved to be the best partnership the Indians managed in the match as their 20 overs elapsed with the score reading 158/7.
Kapp and Ismail both picked up two wickets each.
With a not-so-imposing target to chase, the Proteas made a watchful start but Shree Charani rocked the Proteas twice in the final over of powerplay, dismissing South Africa skipper Laura Wolvaardt for 21 and Annerie Dercksen for a duck in the space of three deliveries.
However, the Proteas recovered with Tazmin Brits and Kapp stitching together a 97-run partnership to take the game away from the Indians. Kapp was the aggressor and reached her sixth T20 fifty in just 34 balls.
Verma finally broke the partnership in the 17th over, dismissing Brits for 40. South Africa, however, were still in the driver’s seat with 37 to get off 23 balls and seven wickets in hand.
Shree Charani reduced the cushion by sending back Nadine de Klerk in the next over but Kapp stayed unbeaten on 81 – her highest T20I score – to help her team cross the finish line with five balls to spare.
This was the first-ever meeting between India and South Africa in the Women’s T20 World Cup.
India’s next Women’s T20 World Cup match will be against Bangladesh at Old Trafford on Thursday, while South Africa takes on the Netherlands in Bristol later on the same day.
IND-W vs SA-W, Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 brief scores: India Women 158/7 in 20 overs (Shafali Verma 31; Marizanne Kapp 2/27, Shabnim Ismail 2/28) lost to South Africa Women 161/4 in 19.1 overs (Marizanne Kapp 81 not out; Shree Charani 3/24) by six wickets.
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