Smriti Mandhana (74 off 47) and Shafali Verma (55 off 38) posted a commanding 115-run opening stand before Sree Charani claimed 4 for 19 to power India to a 95-run demolition of the Netherlands in the 2026 ICC Women's T20 World Cup at Headingley, Leeds on 17 June. India posted 209/5 — their first-ever 200-plus total in ICC Women's T20 World Cup history — before bowling the Netherlands out for 114 in 17.3 overs to move to the top of Group A with a net run rate of 3.98.

India's Record-Breaking Innings

Put in to bat under overcast skies, India's openers exploited wayward new-ball bowling from the outset. Shafali attacked from the first ball, steering and cutting for boundaries, while Smriti complemented her with crisp drives. Their partnership took India to their joint-fastest team fifty in Women's T20 World Cup history — inside 5.1 overs — aided in no small part by Myrthe van den Raad's nervy debut, which yielded six wides. India reached 59/0 at the end of the powerplay.

Shafali reached her maiden T20 World Cup fifty off 34 balls in the 11th over with a hoick and sweep off Caroline de Lange, before holing out to long-on for 55. Smriti followed with back-to-back fifties — this one off 36 balls — carving Heather Siegers for a six over long-off. Her 74 was laced with 11 fours and a six before she toe-ended a loft to mid-off.

Jemimah Rodrigues contributed with crisp timing after Shafali's exit, while the Netherlands clawed back with the wickets of Jemimah and Yastika Bhatia — the latter stumped off a googly. Richa Ghosh (20 not out) and Deepti Sharma (10 not out) then took charge: Richa hit a flat six and a boundary in the 18th over, and Deepti finished the innings with a flick for six and a pull for four, bringing up India's 200 with 19 runs coming off the final over.

Netherlands Collapse Under Spin

Chasing 210, the Netherlands made a reasonable start — Heather Siegers and Phebe Molkenboer sharing six boundaries — before Nandni Sharma had Heather chipping to extra cover for 21. Deepti Sharma removed Molkenboer shortly after, and Shafali bowled Sterre Kalis to leave the Netherlands at 77/3.

Netherlands captain Babette de Leede resisted with 28 but was stumped off Nandni, triggering a catastrophic collapse. From 96/4, the Netherlands lost four wickets in 12 balls, with Charani accounting for Robine Rijke, Frederique Overdijk, Myrthe van den Raad, and Iris Zwilling. Shafali returned to add two more scalps, finishing with 3 for 20. India's spinners claimed nine of the ten wickets to fall.

Injury Concern: Shreyanka Patil

The dominant victory was tempered by a worrying moment in the field: off-spin all-rounder Shreyanka Patil twisted her right ankle while fielding off her own bowling and was stretchered off the ground. India will be monitoring her fitness closely ahead of their next fixture.

Group A Standings

The win lifts India to the top of Group A with a net run rate of 3.98 — 0.10 ahead of Australia. India's spinners-led bowling unit and a batting line-up capable of posting 200-plus totals make them a formidable force in the competition. The Netherlands, meanwhile, were hampered by dropped catches and erratic bowling throughout.

Brief Scores: India 209/5 in 20 overs (Smriti Mandhana 74, Shafali Verma 55; Caroline de Lange 2-32, Heather Siegers 1-31) beat Netherlands 114 all out in 17.3 overs (Babette de Leede 28, Heather Siegers 21; Sree Charani 4-19, Shafali Verma 3-20) by 95 runs.