Harmanpreet Kaur’s 200th T20I ruined by Marizanne Kapp’s all-round performance:India lose to SA by 6 wickets in the Women’s T20 WC

India suffered their first loss of the Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 as they were beaten by South Africa at Old Trafford, Manchester by 7 wickets. Marizanne Kapp was the standout performer for SA, who not only slammed an unbeaten 81 off 45 balls but also took 2 wickets in the 1st innings. Shree Charani impressed with the ball, taking three wickets during her spell, getting two of them in a single over. However, it was not enough to derail the momentum that their opponents were riding on. Collective bowling display from SA Women’s team halts India to 158/7 Smriti Mandhana (17) gave a strong start to India, but she was castled by Marizanne Kapp. Then Shabmin Ismail struck back with the wicket of Shafali Verma (31). India’s openers were back in the pavilion, finishing at 59/2 in powerplay. The wicket tally increased to three in 10 overs as Ayabonga Khaka trapped Yastika Bhatia’s leg before the wicket. Seasoned campaigners Nadine De Klerk and Shabmin Ismail landed a couple of blows to peg India back to 116/5 in 15 overs. Kaur playing her 200th T20 made her the first cricketer to reach the landmark. It was an impressive bowling performance by South Africa in the second half to restrict India’s power-packed batting to 158/7. With the bat for India, Shafali Verma top-scored with 31, while Deepti Sharma (29) and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (24) made useful contributions to the innings. With the ball, Marizanne Kapp and Shabnim Ismail picked up two wickets each, while Nonkululeko Mlaba, Ayabonga Khaka and Nadine de Klerk claimed one wicket apiece. In the last 10 overs, India women could only score 76 runs for 4 wickets. Marizanne Kapp single-handedly led South Africa to a successful chase South Africa Women’s team had started with a steady boost from Laura Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits. Shree Charani revived some hopes after she dismissed the SA captain and then Annerie Dercksen in the same over. However, Brits survived and built a 97-run partnership alongside Kapp. Harmanpreet Kaur’s side could not get a single wicket during that period and got rid of Brits in the 17th over, followed by Nadine de Klerk in the 18th over. Kapp, on the other end, kept accumulating boundaries with her piercing shots and sealed the game for the South Africa Women’s team with her unbeaten 81*(45), completing the chase in 19.1 overs.