South Africa Hand India First Defeat of 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup
Marizanne Kapp Stars As Knockout Stage Race Heats Up
South Africa confirmed our 2026 T20 Women’s World Cup predictions by securing an impressive six-wicket victory over India at the Old Trafford Cricket Ground in Manchester on Sunday evening.
After winning the toss and electing to bat first, India got off to a solid start, with Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma putting on a 30-run stand for the first wicket, before Yastika Bhatia joined Verma and led the team to 54 runs by the end of the powerplay.
However, following the dismissal of Verma, India’s middle-order struggled to build a worthwhile partnership, with none of Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur, Deepti Sharma, or Risha Ghosh managing to score more than 30 runs. India ended their 20 overs at 158/7.
In response, South Africa endured a slow start with Laura Wolvaardt and Tazmin Britz only managing 25 runs in the first 5.2 overs before the skipper was dismissed. Annerie Dercksen only lasted two deliveries before being sent back to the pavilion for a duck.
That brought Marizanne Kapp to the crease, and along with Brits, the South African batting duo produced a stunning third-wicket partnership of 97 runs in just 63 balls, which took their team to within 35 runs with 3.5 overs left to play.
Kapp went on to end the match on 81 runs from 45 deliveries, while Chloe Tryon smashed the winning runs on the first ball of the final over. With the result, Australia lead Group A with six points, while the next three teams - India, South Africa and Bangladesh - are now level on four points apiece.
2026 Women’s T20 World Cup Standings After 18 Matches
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | NR | Pts | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Australia | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 4.391 |
| 2 | India | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2.511 |
| 3 | South Africa | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | −0.546 |
| 4 | Bangladesh | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | −0.641 |
| 5 | Pakistan (E) | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | −1.857 |
| 6 | Netherlands (E) | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | −3.384 |
Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | NR | Pts | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | England | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2.490 |
| 2 | West Indies | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0.644 |
| 3 | New Zealand | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | −0.063 |
| 4 | Scotland | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | −0.083 |
| 5 | Sri Lanka | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | −1.913 |
| 6 | Ireland (E) | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | −1.054 |
