Unbeaten India face South Africa as Harmanpreet reaches 200 T20Is
India top their group with two wins from two and meet a South Africa side desperate for points at Old Trafford, where Harmanpreet Kaur becomes the first cricketer to reach 200 T20Is.
Jun 21, 2026
India have looked the most dangerous team in their group at the Women’s T20 World Cup, and South Africa are the side best placed to test that. The two meet at Emirates Old Trafford on Sunday, with India unbeaten and South Africa chasing the win that would push them back into the thick of the semi-final race. The first ball is at 7:00pm IST.
It is also a meeting with history attached. The last time these teams shared a major final, India beat South Africa to win the 50-over World Cup in November 2025. This will be the first time the Proteas have faced India in a Women’s T20 World Cup, and South Africa have their own recent evidence that India can be beaten, having won a bilateral T20I series 4-1 earlier this year.
India arrive with a points cushion and plenty of runs
India sit top of Group 1 with two wins from two. They opened with a 64-run win over Pakistan, then took the Netherlands apart, piling up 209 for 5 before bowling their opponents out for 114. That total was India’s highest in a Women’s T20 World Cup, and it has left them with a net run rate no one else in the group can match.
Smriti Mandhana has been the engine. The opener made 68 against Pakistan and followed it with 74 off 47 balls against the Netherlands, and she goes into Sunday as the tournament’s leading run-scorer. Shafali Verma has chipped in at the other end, including a 38-ball 55 and a spell of 3 for 20 against the Dutch, giving India a top order that has barely been slowed down so far.
A milestone for Harmanpreet
Sunday carries a personal landmark for the India captain. Harmanpreet Kaur is set to become the first cricketer, male or female, to play 200 T20 internationals. At 37, she remains central to how India bat through the middle overs, and reaching the mark while leading her side in a World Cup knockout-shaping fixture is a fitting backdrop.
The contest within the contest is at the top of the order. Mandhana against Laura Wolvaardt is as good a batting matchup as the women’s game offers right now, and whichever captain’s best player comes out on top could decide where this game goes.
South Africa need a response
South Africa come in third after a mixed start. They were beaten by Australia in their opener before steadying themselves against Pakistan, where Annerie Dercksen’s fifty got them their first win. That keeps them alive, but a side with semi-final ambitions cannot afford to lose to the group’s form team and lean on net run rate to creep through.
Wolvaardt’s runs at the top will shape any chase or total, and South Africa will need their spinners to slow Mandhana and Shafali in the powerplay rather than letting India set the tempo as they have all tournament. Beat the best side in the group and the Proteas climb; lose, and the math gets awkward with games running out.