The ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 just hit a remarkable milestone. The thrilling match between Australia and India in Group A at Lord's on Sunday, June 28, attracted a record-breaking crowd of 27,163 fans, making it the most attended group-stage match in the tournament's history. This new record topped the previous high of 21,018 spectators, which was set just a day earlier during England's Group B showdown against New Zealand at The Kia Oval on Saturday, June 27. With these back-to-back record crowds, the overall attendance for the group stage has soared past 125,000, marking this edition in England and Wales as the most popular ICC Women's T20 World Cup ever.

Now, all eyes are on the knockout stage! Australia and South Africa have made it through from Group A, while England and the West Indies have secured their spots from Group B. The first semi-final will see Australia take on the West Indies at The Kia Oval on June 30, followed by England facing South Africa at the same venue on July 2. The grand finale will wrap things up at Lord's on July 5.

Australia Women End India's Campaign with Six-Wicket Win at Lord's

India's journey in the tournament came to a disappointing end with a six-wicket loss to Australia at Lord's, after Harmanpreet Kaur won the toss and opted to bat first. The Indian openers set a solid foundation, with Smriti Mandhana scoring 38 runs off 37 balls and Shafali Verma adding 34 from 26 deliveries. Jemimah Rodrigues also chipped in with 34 runs off 28 balls. However, it was Harmanpreet who stole the show with a blistering 56 runs off just 27 balls, hitting six fours and three sixes, including three consecutive maximums in the final over, helping India reach a total of 170/6. Sophie Molineux was the pick of the bowlers for Australia, finishing with figures of 2/46.

 

 

Australia faced some early challenges but found their rhythm thanks to Ellyse Perry and Ashleigh Gardner. Perry played a steady innings, scoring 56 off 38 balls, while Gardner picked up the pace with a quickfire 52 off 28. Their impressive 101-run partnership for the fourth wicket turned the game around after India had applied pressure in the first half. With Perry's calm demeanor and Gardner's aggressive batting, Australia successfully chased down the target with five balls to spare. Shree Charani was the standout bowler for India, taking 2/32, while Deepti Sharma reached a milestone by becoming India's highest wicket-taker in women's international cricket.

 

This defeat means India continues to search for their first Women's T20 World Cup title, marking a second consecutive exit from the group stage after 2024, with Australia once again putting an end to their campaign. Despite victories over Pakistan, Bangladesh, and the Netherlands, India finished third in Group A, trailing behind Australia and South Africa, which highlights yet another missed chance in a significant ICC tournament.