India storms into semis after crushing Hong Kong

With Smriti Mandhana's explosive century and Deepti Sharma's lethal bowling, India secured a semi-final spot in the Women's Asia Cup by defeating Hong Kong by 137 runs.

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HIGHLIGHTS

India defeated Hong Kong by 137 runs in the Women's Asia Cup.
With this victory, Team India has confirmed its place in the semi-finals.
Smriti Mandhana played a blistering century innings of 124 runs in 64 balls.
Deepti Sharma became the highest wicket-taker in T20Is after taking 3 wickets.

India storms into semis after crushing Hong Kong

Dubai | The Indian women's cricket team has secured its place in the semi-finals of the Women's Asia Cup 2026, continuing their stellar performance. In a one-sided match played in Dubai, India crushed Hong Kong by a massive margin of 137 runs. The hero of this victory was Smriti Mandhana, who scored the second century of her T20 career.

India's huge score with Mandhana's century

After losing the toss and batting first at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, the Indian team had a brilliant start. Openers Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma provided a strong foundation for the team.

The pair shared a crucial partnership of 74 runs for the first wicket in 48 balls. Shafali Verma was out for 17 runs off 28 balls, which included 2 sixes and 3 fours.

Mandhana's explosive innings

Even after Shafali's dismissal, Mandhana maintained her aggressive approach. She played attractive shots all around the ground and completely dominated the Hong Kong bowlers.

Mandhana added 37 runs for the second wicket with Pratika Rawal (10) and 40 runs for the third wicket with Richa Ghosh (11). Finally, she shared a quick 34-run partnership in 15 balls with captain Harmanpreet Kaur (10).

Smriti Mandhana played an incredible innings of 124 runs off just 64 balls, with the help of 7 sixes and 14 fours. Thanks to her innings, India posted a huge score of 193 for 5 in 20 overs.

Hong Kong crumbles against Indian bowlers

Chasing a huge target of 194 runs, the Hong Kong team was under pressure from the very beginning. The team lost its first wicket for just 2 runs.

Deepti Sharma creates history

Yasmin Daswani (11) and Natasha Miles added 27 runs for the second wicket, but as soon as this partnership was broken, a flurry of wickets followed. The entire Hong Kong team was bowled out for just 56 runs in 16.2 overs.

For India, Deepti Sharma bowled brilliantly, taking 3 wickets for 9 runs in 3 overs. With these 3 wickets, Deepti Sharma has once again become the leading wicket-taker in Women's T20 cricket. She now has 174 wickets to her name.

Apart from her, Nandini Sharma, Shri Charani, and Prema Rawat also contributed significantly to the victory by taking 2 wickets each. With this win, India is at the top of Group-A with a net run rate of +5.775. The team's next match will be against Pakistan.