Smriti Mandhana Breaks Records in Women's Cricket History
Mandhana Makes History
Smriti Mandhana, the vice-captain of the Indian women's cricket team, has made headlines by surpassing the legendary Mithali Raj to become the leading run-scorer in women's international cricket across all formats. The 30-year-old achieved this milestone during the Women’s Asia Cup 2026 Group A match against Hong Kong at the Dubai International Stadium on Thursday. Mandhana's remarkable performance included a stunning 124 runs off 64 balls, bringing her total to 10,880 runs, eclipsing Mithali Raj's previous record of 10,868 runs.
Additional Records Broken
With this achievement, the top five run-scorers in women's international cricket are now:
| Player | Runs |
|---|---|
| Smriti Mandhana | 10,880 |
| Mithali Raj | 10,868 |
| Suzie Bates (NZ) | 10,740 |
| Charlotte Edwards (ENG) | 10,273 |
| Stafanie Taylor (WI) | 10,007 |
Mandhana's innings also set a new record for the highest individual score in Women's T20 Asia Cup history, surpassing Chamari Athapaththu's unbeaten 119 against Malaysia in 2024. Other notable scores include Mithali Raj's 97 not out against Malaysia in 2018 and Sri Lanka's Harshitha Samarawickrama's 81 against Thailand in 2022.
Milestone Achievements
Mandhana has now joined Harmanpreet Kaur as the only Indian women to have scored centuries in T20 internationals. Her 124 against Hong Kong follows her previous century of 112 against England in 2025. Harmanpreet's 103 against New Zealand during the 2018 T20 World Cup remains the only other century by an Indian woman in T20Is.
Match Summary: India vs Hong Kong
In the match against Hong Kong, Mandhana's explosive innings helped India set a formidable total of 193/5. She showcased her batting prowess with 14 fours and seven sixes, achieving a remarkable strike rate of 193.55.
Shafali Verma opened the innings alongside Mandhana, contributing a solid 28 runs off 17 balls, including three fours and two sixes. The opening partnership yielded 74 runs before Verma was dismissed by Ruchitha Venkatesh.
After the power-play, Mandhana accelerated her scoring, while Pratika Rawal added 10 runs before being dismissed. Richa Ghosh managed 11 runs before falling to Marina Lamplough. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur joined Mandhana late in the innings but was dismissed for just 10 runs. For Hong Kong, Marina Lamplough took two wickets, while Ruchitha Venkatesh and Joyleen Kaur each claimed one.