India Secures Semifinal Spot, Sri Lanka Bows Out

India delivered an impressive all-round performance to enhance their semi-final prospects while eliminating Sri Lanka from the Women’s T20 World Cup. Chasing a daunting target of 173 runs in Dubai, Sri Lanka stumbled early, collapsing to 6-3 before India bowled them out for just 90 runs in 19.5 overs. This resulted in an emphatic 82-run victory for India.

The Indian innings featured strong contributions from opener Smriti Mandhana and captain Harmanpreet Kaur, both of whom scored half-centuries. India set a tournament-high total of 172-3 with Mandhana scoring a rapid 36-ball fifty and Kaur finishing unbeaten on 52 off 27 balls. The duo formed a formidable opening partnership adding 98 runs without loss before falling in quick succession.

Sri Lanka’s chase faltered from the start, as star all-rounder Chamari Athapaththu fell for just one run. Their early losses and India’s relentless pressure especially from bowlers Asha Sobhana and Arundhati Reddy, who both took 3 wickets for 19 runs, limited Sri Lanka to only 90 runs. India’s victory propelled them to second place in Group A and improved their net run rate following a heavy opening loss to New Zealand.

They still face defending champions Australia in their next match which will be crucial for securing a top-two finish. In contrast, winless Sri Lanka sits at the bottom of the group, hoping for a strong finish against New Zealand in their final match. Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who earned the player of the match award expressed confidence in her team’s performance.

The impressive fielding and disciplined bowling highlighted a turnaround after early tournament struggles. Sri Lanka’s captain acknowledged their mistakes, particularly in fielding, and emphasized the team’s overall disappointing performance.