India made it two wins from two on the 2026 T20 World Cup with a cushty 95-run victory over the Netherlands at Headingley on Wednesday. However the win was overshadowed a bit by an harm to off-spinner Shreyanka Patil, who twisted her proper ankle after delivering the primary ball of her spell within the sixth over. Unable to place weight on the leg, she obtained prolonged remedy earlier than being stretchered off in a buggy.
Earlier than the setback, although, Harmanpreet Kaur had stated her facet had to enhance their powerplay performances with each bat and ball. The group responded emphatically.
The opening duo of Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma answered the decision by placing on a 115-run opening stand. Mandhana set the tone from the outset, producing a collection of trademark cowl drives each time the Dutch seamers overpitched. Heather Siegers, Iris Zwilling and Isabel van der Woning all struggled to search out constant lengths. The left-hander capitalised on the free deliveries.
Shafali initially performed second fiddle earlier than discovering her rhythm. As soon as she settled, the right-hander punished something quick, taking 12 runs off Van der Woning’s first over earlier than accelerating after the sector unfold.
India reached 50 in simply 5.1 overs and completed the powerplay at 59/0, exactly the type of begin Harmanpreet had sought on the toss. Just one over of spin was used throughout the powerplay, nevertheless it made little distinction because the Netherlands didn’t extract sufficient flip or variation to hassle both opener.
AS IT HAPPENED | INDIA VS NETHERLANDS WOMEN’S T20 WORLD CUP 2026 HIGHLIGHTS
Mandhana continued to be the extra fluent of the pair by means of the center overs, mixing her elegant drives with an assured sweep towards leg-spinner Silver Siegers. Missing tempo and bowling too full or too quick, the Dutch assault allowed India to attain freely, with wides and extras compounding their issues.
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India have been 96/0 after 10 overs, with the opening pair barely providing an opportunity. Shafali, having began extra cautiously than Mandhana, shifted gears after the powerplay and introduced up her maiden T20 World Cup fifty from 32 balls.
Smriti Mandhana slammed her second consecutive fifty in Ladies’s T20 World Cup 2026. (AP)
The partnership ultimately ended at 115 within the twelfth over when Heather Siegers lastly broke by means of with an extended hop that sat up invitingly. Shafali leaned again, seeking to clear long-on however didn’t center the stroke, holing out to Iris Zwilling for a well-made 55 off 38 balls.
Mandhana maintained the tempo after Shafali’s departure, however simply when it seemed like she might get 100, she fell to Caroline de Lange within the sixteenth over for a 47-ball 74, including 47 runs in simply 26 balls with Jemimah Rodrigues for the second wicket.
Late cameos from Richa Ghosh and Deepti Sharma (10 off two balls) pushed India’s rating past the 200-run mark.
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Nandni, Charani impress
With 209 runs within the financial institution, India have been all the time in management, nevertheless it was Sree Charani who ensured the Netherlands by no means mounted a problem. After selecting up three wickets towards Pakistan, the left-arm spinner produced one other spectacular spell of 4/19, profiting from the stress created on the different finish.
Nandni Sharma, making her T20 World Cup debut, had supplied India the perfect begin by dismissing Heather Siegers for 21 within the fifth over, earlier than the ever-reliable Deepti Sharma eliminated Phebe Molkenboer within the eighth to depart the Netherlands at 50/2.
Shreyanka’s harm meant Shafali needed to share the spin workload with Deepti and Charani. The transfer paid off as Shafali broke a growing stand between captain Babette de Leede and Sterre Kalis, lowering the Netherlands to 77/3.
With the spinners squeezing the center overs, Harmanpreet turned again to her seamers, and Nandni struck once more by eradicating De Leede for 28 to additional tighten India’s grip on the competition.
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Joint-highest wicket-taker within the 2026 WPL with 17 scalps, Nandni was a fan of Bhuvneshwar Kumar rising up, and has earned her alternative by means of her potential to swing the brand new ball at tempo.
Charani completed with 4/19, whereas Shafali returned 3/20. On a night overshadowed by Shreyanka’s harm, Shafali stepped as much as assist India comfortably shut out the sport.
Temporary scores: India 209/5 in 20 overs (Smriti Mandhana 74, Shafali Verma 55, Richa Ghosh 20) beat Netherlands 114 all out in 17.3 overs (Babette de Leede 28; Sree Charani 4/19, Shafali Verma 3/20) by 95 runs.