Women’s T20 World Cup 2026: Bharti Fulmalli, Shreyanka Patil shine as India beat West Indies by 26 runs in warm-up clash
Bharti Fulmalli’s unbeaten 56 and a lethal seven-wicket combined spell from spinners Shreyanka Patil and Radha Yadav guided India to a clinical 26-run victory over the West Indies in their opening Women's T20 World Cup warm-up match.
Cardiff: An unbeaten half-century from Bharti Fulmalli and a dominant display from spinners Radha Yadav and Shreyanka Patil powered India to a convincing 26-run victory over the West Indies in their opening warm-up match of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 in Cardiff on Monday.
Carrying the momentum from their historic ODI World Cup victory earlier this year, a clinical performance saw the Women in Blue launch their T20 World Cup preparations on a high note. India posted a commanding 179 for 8 before restricting the West Indies to 153 for 8. Fulmalli anchored the innings with a stellar, unbeaten 56 off 40 deliveries, while Shreyanka and Radha dismantled the Caribbean run chase by sharing seven wickets between them.
Invited to bat, India’s openers Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma forged a rapid 59-run partnership. Mandhana led the charge with a 29-ball 39, smashing eight boundaries after exploiting a wayward, rhythm-less opening spell from the West Indian pacers. Despite losing Mandhana, India raced to a formidable 70 for 1 by the end of the Powerplay.
However, a slight middle-order wobble saw India lose three wickets in quick succession, forcing Fulmalli and Yastika Bhatia to consolidate with a solid 60-run stand for the fifth wicket. Bhatia, looking in good touch, eventually retired out after scoring 26 off 21 balls to allow the lower order some game time. The strategy briefly stalled momentum as Richa Ghosh and Radha Yadav fell within the space of the same over.
Nevertheless, Fulmalli took charge in the death overs, smashing six boundaries and a six to guide India to a strong total. Leg-spinner Afy Fletcher was the lone shining light for a lackluster West Indies attack, returning exceptional figures of 4 for 23 from her four overs.
In reply, West Indies’ Deandra Dottin and Shemaine Campbelle offered stiff resistance early on. However, their 63-run partnership lacked urgency, yielding just 37 runs in the Powerplay and leaving them far behind the required run rate. The turning point arrived with the dismissal of Campbelle, which triggered a severe middle-order collapse.
India’s spinners quickly turned a steady start into a struggling 103 for 6. Shreyanka led the wreckage with brilliant figures of 4 for 36, while Radha extracted sharp turn to claim an equally impressive 3 for 25.
Dottin threatened to keep the chase alive with a gritty 49 off 41 balls, but fell agonizingly close to her half-century. Late cameos from Aliyah Alleyne and Shawnisha Hector gave the scoreline a respectable look, but the Caribbean side never truly threatened India’s total.
Brief Scores:
India Women: 179/8 in 20 overs (Bharti Fulmalli 56*, Smriti Mandhana 39; Afy Fletcher 4/23, Aliyah Alleyne 1/17)
West Indies Women: 153/8 in 20 overs (Deandra Dottin 49, Shemaine Campbelle 25; Shreyanka Patil 4/36, Radha Yadav 3/25)
Result: India Women won by 26 runs.
