India Women are still in the hunt for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 semi-finals after a tense five-wicket win over Bangladesh. They’re not through yet, though.
The road ahead looks tough.
Right now, Harmanpreet Kaur and her squad sit on six points from four matches, with a pretty solid net run rate of +2.268. The team got off to a great start, taking down Pakistan and the Netherlands without much trouble. Things got shaky after a six-wicket loss to South Africa but they bounced back by beating Bangladesh. Now, they’re still in the mix.
Australia have been dominant, sitting at the top with eight points from four games. South Africa have matched India’s points tally, but their net run rate isn’t as strong.
Getting to the semi-finals sounds simple on paper: beat Australia in the last group fixture. If they do, they’ll jump to eight points and be in prime position to qualify. A win over the six-time champs puts India in control, though if a few teams finish with the same points, net run rate might decide who moves on.
Here’s where South Africa matter. They finish the group stage against Bangladesh, and their result could shape India’s fate. If South Africa lose and India beat Australia, India advance. But if both sides win and end up tied at eight points, net run rate comes into play—whoever has the better margin goes through, possibly even ahead of Australia depending on how the results fall.
But if India lose to Australia, things get tricky. They’re stuck on six points and then need South Africa to get hammered by Bangladesh to have any shot. Even then, it all comes down to net run rate, which is anything but comfortable.
With Australia basically locked in and South Africa still in the race, India’s last group game really is make or break. The bottom line for Harmanpreet and her team: beat Australia and control their own fate. Everything else just leaves them waiting and hoping.