India overcame early struggles with the bat and produced a commanding all-round performance to defeat Bangladesh by 40 runs in the first semi-final of the Women’s Asia Cup 2026 in Dubai, booking their place in Sunday’s final.
According to the International Cricket Council (ICC), India were tested by a challenging pitch after being asked to bat first, but a late surge with the bat helped them post a competitive 149/6. Their spinners then delivered a disciplined performance to restrict Bangladesh and secure a convincing victory.
The first semi-final had shaped up as an intriguing contest between India’s batting and Bangladesh’s bowling. While India’s middle order had not fully found its rhythm during the tournament, Bangladesh’s bowling attack had been one of the standout features of their campaign.
As reported by the ICC, Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana Joty won the toss and elected to bowl, with both teams retaining the same playing XIs from their respective previous group-stage victories.
Bangladesh made an early breakthrough when Sultana Khatun dismissed India opener Smriti Mandhana. The left-hander managed just two runs from five deliveries before giving a catch to Shorna Akter.
However, Bangladesh’s fielding let them down early in the innings. According to the ICC, Shafali Verma was dropped twice within the opening three overs, giving India’s explosive opener the opportunity to settle in.
Shafali made the most of those chances and quickly shifted the momentum. She opened her shoulders and struck consecutive sixes in the fourth over, helping India accelerate after the early loss of Mandhana.
Pratika Rawal also joined the attack, hitting Rabeya Khan for a six in the sixth over. India reached 45/1 at the end of the Powerplay, giving themselves a positive platform despite the early setback.
The Bangladesh spinners, however, refused to allow India’s top order to completely dominate. Their disciplined bowling created pressure and made stroke-making increasingly difficult.
That pressure eventually resulted in the dismissal of Rawal, whose difficult run of form in the tournament continued. She was dismissed for 20 from 24 balls by Rabeya.
Shafali remained the key batter keeping India’s innings moving. She ensured that the scoring rate stayed above six runs an over and reached her 20th T20I half-century in the 13th over.
According to the ICC, the Indian opener then launched into a series of boundaries in the following over before her innings ended on 64 from 40 deliveries.
India were still eight runs short of 100 at that stage, and Bangladesh had a genuine opportunity to restrict them to a modest total. The difficult pitch made batting increasingly challenging, particularly for players coming in later in the innings.
Bangladesh’s fielding problems continued to provide India with opportunities. Richa Ghosh benefited from another dropped catch in the 16th over and responded by hitting a maximum.
Runs were not coming easily, but Ghosh and Harmanpreet Kaur produced important big hits to keep India’s innings moving.
Deepti Sharma then provided a crucial late cameo, scoring 13 runs from just five deliveries.
As reported by the ICC, those late contributions proved valuable as India finished their 20 overs on 149/6, giving Bangladesh a challenging target on a surface that had already made stroke-making difficult.
Chasing 150, Bangladesh’s openers Juairiya Ferdous and Dilara Akter began positively.
The pair attacked the Indian bowling and struck a number of boundaries, giving Bangladesh an encouraging start to their chase.
However, the introduction of India’s spinners changed the momentum of the innings.
The scoring rate began to fall as Bangladesh struggled to maintain the same attacking approach. Ferdous was the first opener to depart, falling to Sree Charani in the sixth over after being caught by Richa Ghosh.
Bangladesh then lost Dilara Akter soon afterwards. According to the ICC, Kranti Gaud produced a sliding catch to complete the dismissal, with Deepti Sharma credited with the wicket.
As Bangladesh focused on preserving wickets, their scoring rate suffered. The required run rate climbed beyond 10 runs an over around the middle of the innings, increasing the pressure on the batting side.
By the time Deepti Sharma claimed her second wicket in the 14th over, dismissing Sobhana Mostary, Bangladesh’s required rate had risen to around 13 runs per over.
Nigar Sultana Joty attempted to revive Bangladesh’s chase and finally opened up, hitting a six — the first maximum of Bangladesh’s innings — to provide her team with a glimmer of hope.
But that hope disappeared quickly.
In the following over, Nigar, who scored 19, attempted to attack Prema Rawat but was dismissed, leaving Bangladesh’s hopes of reaching the final hanging by a thread.
Deepti Sharma finished with impressive figures of 3/26 and further strengthened her position as the leading wicket-taker of the tournament.
According to the ICC, Deepti now has 11 wickets in this edition of the Women’s Asia Cup, with those wickets coming at an outstanding average of 3.63.
India’s bowlers maintained control through the closing stages, ensuring Bangladesh could not mount a late recovery.
Nandani Sharma brought the match to an emphatic conclusion, helping India secure a 40-run victory.
She also added a dramatic finish by taking wickets with each of the final two deliveries of the match, ensuring Bangladesh’s innings ended without any possibility of a late comeback.
The result sends India into the Women’s Asia Cup 2026 final, continuing their strong campaign in the tournament.
As reported by the ICC, India will play the final on Sunday, September 13. Their opponents will be determined by the second semi-final between Sri Lanka and Pakistan, which is scheduled to take place tomorrow.
India’s victory over Bangladesh was built on resilience with the bat and outstanding work from their spinners. After being tested by the pitch and Bangladesh’s disciplined bowling, India found a way to reach a competitive total before producing a clinical bowling performance.
With the final now secured, India will await the winner of Sri Lanka and Pakistan as they look to finish their Asia Cup campaign with the title.