Match 12 of the ICC Women’s T20 Challenge Trophy 2026 saw the in-form United States of America (USA) Women do what was expected, wrapped up a comfortable 7-wicket victory over Nepal Women in their chase of 87 and did so in just 11.5 overs.
Nepal Women won the toss and chose to bat first, a decision that didn’t quite pay off the way they would have hoped. A wicket first ball, Samjhana Khadka for duck, saw USA off to a perfect start. The disciplined USA bowling effort denied any recovery for Nepal as wickets fell in regular intervals.
Bindu Rawal departed for 3, followed by Puja Mahato for 8 and Kabita Joshi for 1, reducing Nepal to 27/4 in the 12th over. Amidst the fall of wickets, Rubi Poddar’s unbeaten 51 off 51 helped Nepal get into a respectable position. She didn’t receive much support from the other end as the tailenders fell for single digit scores, closing out on 86/6.
USA’s clinical bowling effort was led by Maahi Madhavan, who returned 2/16 off 4, while Ritu Singh also bagged 2 wickets off her 3 overs, conceding 21 runs. Sainavi Kambalapalli (1/9 off 4), Abitiba Chudasama (1/20 off 4) and Lekha Shetty (0/9 off 3) were all effective.
Opener Sainavi Kamabalapalli led USA’s reply with 21 off 17 balls with 5 fours, before being caught off Puja Mahato, despite losing Chetna Pagydala for 1, reduced to 2/25. Isani Vaghela provided some resistance in the middle order, finishing unbeaten on 35 off 29 balls including 5 fours and a six. Pooja Ganesh showed explosive intent, smashing 20 off just 8 balls with 5 fours before being caught off Indu Barma, with 60 on the board.
While Vaghela anchored the chase beautifully, she found much-needed support in Gargi Bhogle, who finished not out on 12 off 10 balls, closing the game out. The USA reached their target of 89 in just 11.5 overs, winning by 7 wickets, with 49 balls to spare.
Manisha Upadhayay was the pick of Nepal’s bowling attack in the USA innings, taking 1 wicket for 13 runs from 3 overs, while Kabita Kunwar and Indu Barma also chipped in with a wicket each. The saw USA solidify their hold at the top of the table with 8 points, losing only one game so far, while Nepal remains at 3rd with 4 points.
Loves all things female cricket