Women’s T20 World Cup: What Harmanpreet Kaur-led India needs to do to qualify for semi-finals – Scenarios explained | Cricket News

New Delhi: India’s hopes of reaching the semi-finals of the 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup remain high.The win over Bangladesh moved Harmanpreet Kaur’s side to second place in Group A with six points from four games. Australia leads the group with 8 points, while South Africa is third with 6 points, but has a lower net score.England became the first team to reach the semi-finals after beating West Indies on Friday. In Group B, both Ireland and Scotland were eliminated. Both Pakistan and the Netherlands in Group A were eliminated.

What India needs to do to reach the semi-finals?

The equation for India is simple.India will almost certainly advance to the semi-finals if they beat unbeaten Australia in their final group match on Sunday. A win would take India to eight points, while their healthy net run rate of +2.268 puts them ahead of South Africa (+0.734).

What if India loses to Australia?

If India loses to Australia, they will remain on six points.In this case, South Africa can advance by beating Bangladesh as they will have 8 points and be ahead of India.

Can South Africa overtake India in net run rate?

There is a highly unlikely scenario where South Africa could overtake India even if India beats Australia.If South Africa bat first, they need to beat Bangladesh by around 130-135 runs, depending on their total. Meanwhile, India only needs to beat Australia by a slim margin of about 8 to 10 runs.If Bangladesh bat first, South Africa will have to chase the target in about five to six overs while hoping that India doesn’t get a huge win over Australia.

The big game awaits

For now, India’s focus is clear. A win over Australia would put Harmanpreet Kaur’s side in a very good position to reach the semi-finals and continue their impressive season.