Nagoya, Japan: India vice-captain Smriti Mandhana created another landmark in her record-breaking career on Sunday, becoming the leading run-scorer in women’s T20 Internationals during the Asian Games 2026 semi-final against Bangladesh.
Mandhana surpassed New Zealand great Suzie Bates’ previous record of 4,758 runs when she crossed the required mark early in India’s innings at the Korogi Sports Park. She went on to score 37 runs from 19 balls, taking her career tally to 4,788 runs in women’s T20Is, according to reports from the match.
The milestone adds another major record to Mandhana’s international career just weeks after she overtook former India captain Mithali Raj to become the highest run-scorer in women’s international cricket across formats.
Mandhana overtakes Suzie Bates
Mandhana entered the semi-final needing only a handful of runs to move past Bates, who had held the women’s T20I record with 4,758 runs from 186 matches.
Opening the batting after India won the toss, Mandhana reached the landmark in the third over. She had needed just eight runs to move ahead of Bates, and a boundary took her beyond the New Zealand batter’s tally.
Mandhana eventually made 37 from 19 deliveries, with her innings featuring five fours and two sixes. Her contribution helped India make a strong start in the knockout match against Bangladesh.
With the achievement, Mandhana became the first name on the women’s T20I run-scoring chart, ahead of Bates, India captain Harmanpreet Kaur, Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu and New Zealand’s Sophie Devine.
Most runs in women’s T20Is
| Player | Country | Runs |
|---|---|---|
| Smriti Mandhana | India | 4,788 |
| Suzie Bates | New Zealand | 4,758 |
| Harmanpreet Kaur | India | 4,287 |
| Chamari Athapatthu | Sri Lanka | 4,282 |
| Sophie Devine | New Zealand | 3,817 |
The figures reflect Mandhana’s total after her innings against Bangladesh; the exact career totals can change with every subsequent match.
Another record follows Mithali Raj milestone
Mandhana’s latest achievement comes only weeks after another historic feat.
During India’s Women’s Asia Cup match against Hong Kong in Dubai earlier this month, Mandhana scored a sensational 124 from 64 balls. The innings took her past Mithali Raj’s previous record of 10,868 runs in women’s international cricket.
Mandhana finished that match with 10,880 international runs, becoming the leading run-scorer across Tests, ODIs and T20Is in women’s cricket.
Her innings against Hong Kong was also significant for several other reasons. The 124 became her highest score in women’s T20Is and her 18th international century, moving her ahead of Meg Lanning and Laura Wolvaardt in the overall women’s international centuries list at that point.
The knock also made Mandhana the first Indian woman to score centuries in all three international formats.
Mandhana’s T20I numbers continue to grow
The record against Bangladesh underlined Mandhana’s consistency in the shortest international format.
She has now accumulated more than 4,700 runs in women’s T20Is, having played 178 matches and made 171 innings. Her record includes two centuries and 36 fifties, according to the statistics published during the Asian Games semi-final.
Her previous highest T20I score is the 124 against Hong Kong earlier this month. Before that innings, she had also scored 112 against England in 2025.
The 124 against Hong Kong remains one of the defining innings of her recent run of form. It was also the highest individual score in Women’s T20 Asia Cup history at the time, surpassing Chamari Athapaththu’s unbeaten 119 against Malaysia in 2024.
Record comes during crucial Asian Games semi-final
Mandhana’s milestone came in an important match for India’s women’s cricket team at the Asian Games.
India faced Bangladesh in the second semi-final after Sri Lanka defeated Pakistan by eight wickets in the first semi-final. The winners of the India-Bangladesh contest were set to face Sri Lanka in the gold-medal match.
Mandhana’s early contribution provided India with momentum, although her innings ended on 37 from 19 balls.
India’s batting was subsequently powered by Shafali Verma, who scored a century in the match. Verma’s unbeaten 100 from 49 balls helped India post 195 for four and set Bangladesh a target of 196.
The performance also gave the match an additional statistical dimension, with Mandhana’s record and Shafali’s century coming in the same Indian innings.
Mandhana also reaches 100 T20I sixes
The Bangladesh semi-final brought another milestone for Mandhana.
During her innings, she reached 100 sixes in women’s T20Is, becoming only the fifth batter to reach the landmark in the format. Reports placed Sophie Devine and Deandra Dottin at the top of that six-hitting list, followed by Athapaththu and Shafali Verma.
The achievement further highlights the evolution of Mandhana’s T20 batting. While she has long been recognised for her timing and strokeplay, her recent innings have also added considerable power to her scoring.
Her record-breaking 124 against Hong Kong included seven sixes and 14 fours.
A record-breaking year for Mandhana
Mandhana’s latest achievement is part of an extraordinary sequence of milestones in 2026.
Earlier in September, her 124 against Hong Kong took her past Mithali Raj as the highest run-scorer in women’s international cricket. The innings also gave her the outright record for international centuries in the women’s game at the time.
Now, by moving past Bates in T20Is, Mandhana has added another major statistical record to her career.
The achievement is particularly notable because Bates had built her record over 186 T20I matches, while Mandhana reached the new mark in her 171st innings.
Mandhana’s rise has also placed her alongside some of the most accomplished batters in women’s cricket, including Bates, Harmanpreet, Athapaththu and Devine.
Mandhana’s growing place in women’s cricket history
Mandhana’s career has increasingly become defined by major statistical milestones across formats.
She has already established herself as India’s leading women’s T20I run-scorer and now sits at the top of the global T20I chart. Her international record also includes the overall women’s international run-scoring record following her 124 against Hong Kong.
Her latest record came in a tournament knockout match rather than a routine bilateral fixture, adding significance to an already important milestone.
For India, Mandhana’s continuing run of records provides a major individual contribution during a period in which the women’s team is competing across major international and multi-sport events.
At 30, Mandhana has already accumulated a substantial body of international cricket, and her latest record underlines the longevity and consistency that have defined her career.
Her move past Bates is therefore another chapter in a career that has seen her break records previously held by some of the most accomplished players in women’s cricket.