Smriti Mandhana becomes leading run-scorer in women's T20Is during Asian Games 2026 semi-final

Smriti Mandhana claimed the top position on the all-time women's T20 International run-scoring chart on September 20, 2026, achieving the feat during India's Asian Games 2026 semi-final against Bangladesh at the Korogi Sports Park in Nagoya, Japan.

Mandhana moved past New Zealand's Suzie Bates, whose tally of 4,758 runs across 186 matches had stood as the benchmark, to reach 4,765 runs in the format. The milestone made her the most prolific batter in women's T20I history.

During the same innings, Mandhana also brought up 100 sixes in women's T20Is, marking a second significant landmark on the same afternoon. She contributed a brisk 37 off 19 balls, striking five fours and two sixes before being dismissed, and put on a 72-run opening stand with Shafali Verma.

Where does Mandhana rank on the all-time women's T20I run-scoring list?

Mandhana's tally of 4,765 runs places her at the summit of the women's T20I run-scoring list, with Bates now second after her record of 4,758 runs in 186 matches was overtaken. The gap of seven runs between the two batters reflects how closely contested the top of the chart had been heading into the semi-final.

India captain Harmanpreet Kaur occupies third position with 4,287 runs. Sri Lanka's Chamari Athapaththu is fourth on 4,282, while New Zealand's Sophie Devine rounds out the top five with 3,817 runs. The top three positions on the list are held by Indian or India-linked batters, underlining the depth of run-scoring talent that the women's game has produced on the subcontinent.

Beyond the T20I format, Mandhana has accumulated 10,964 runs across all three formats of international cricket, a figure that reinforces her standing among the most consistent batters in the women's game globally. The 100-sixes landmark in T20Is, reached in the same match, adds further weight to a record-breaking day that covered both volume and striking power across her T20I career.

What is the significance of the Asian Games 2026 setting for this record?

The milestone was set during the second women's cricket semi-final of the Asian Games 2026, a multi-sport event hosted in Nagoya, Japan, giving the achievement a broader context beyond the bilateral and ICC calendar. The Asian Games platform sits outside the standard ICC bilateral and global tournament structure, yet the matches carry full T20I status, meaning every run scored counts towards career tallies.

India faced Bangladesh in a knockout fixture, with a place in the gold medal match at stake. In the first semi-final, Sri Lanka defeated Pakistan by eight wickets and will meet the winner of the India-Bangladesh contest in the final, setting up a potentially high-profile gold medal match in Nagoya.

The setting also highlights the expanding reach of women's cricket across international multi-sport competition. Mandhana's record arriving at a continental Games rather than a bilateral series or ICC event is a marker of how seriously Asian nations are treating the format, and of how the women's game continues to grow in stature across the region.