Smriti Mandhana became the leading run-scorer in women's T20I cricket on Sunday, September 20, during India's Asian Games 2026 semi-final against Bangladesh in Nisshin, Japan. The India vice-captain surpassed New Zealand's Suzie Bates to take the top spot on the all-time women's T20I run charts.
Mandhana needed seven runs to break Bates' record of 4,758 runs and reached the mark in the third over. She hit Bangladesh pacer Marufa Akter for back-to-back boundaries off the final two deliveries of the over, taking her tally to 4,788 runs, PTI reported.
The 30-year-old left-hander went on to score 37 off 19 balls, including five fours and two sixes, before being dismissed.
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Earlier this month, Smriti had broken another record by overtaking legendary compatriot Mithali Raj to become the highest run-scorer in women's international cricket across all formats. The 30-year-old reached the landmark during India's Women's Asia Cup 2026 Group A clash against Hong Kong at the Dubai International Stadium on Thursday, NDTV Sports reported.
Mandhana scored 124 off 64 balls against Hong Kong, including 14 fours and seven sixes. This was recorded as the highest individual score in Women's T20 Asia Cup history, surpassing Chamari Athapaththu's previous record of 119. The ICC reported that the innings took Mandhana past Mithali Raj's 10,868 international runs.
The same innings also took Mandhana's international century tally to 18, moving her past Australia captain Meg Lanning for the record of most international centuries in women's cricket at that point. Mandhana's record also means that India now has two batters in the top-five of the women's T20I run-getters, with captain Harmanpreet third on the list, PTI reported.
Her explosive start against Bangladesh, along with Shafali Verma, also powered India to one of their fastest T20I powerplays. India's score at the end of the powerplay was their fourth-highest in women's T20Is. India opted to bat against Bangladesh and the winners will face Sri Lanka in the final. The Islanders defeated Pakistan by eight wickets earlier in the day.
Mandhana's record-breaking innings therefore added another landmark to an already prolific year for the Indian batter.
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