India’s vice-captain Smriti Mandhana became the highest run scorer in women’s international cricket across all formats on 3 September 2026 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in the United Arab Emirates. She smashed 124 runs off 64 balls against Hong Kong in a Group A match of the Women’s Asia Cup 2026 to take her career aggregate to 10,880 runs. With this knock, she moved past former captain Mithali Raj’s long standing tally of 10,868 runs.
The Record Breaking Knock in Dubai
The milestone came in the seventh match of the tournament, India Women versus Hong Kong Women, played on 3 September 2026 at 6:30 PM local time (8:00 PM IST) at the Dubai International Stadium. Mandhana, opening the batting, needed 113 runs at the start of the innings to overhaul Raj’s record. She reached the mark in the 18th over by launching a six off Hong Kong’s Ruchitha Venkatesh, an over in which she struck three sixes.
She finished on 124 off 64 balls, a strike rate of 193.75, with crisp hitting all around the ground. It was her 18th international century across all formats and the highest individual score in Women’s T20 Asia Cup history, surpassing Chamari Athapaththu’s 119 not out from 2024. The innings also marked her second T20I century, making her the first Indian woman to score two centuries in T20 Internationals. Her previous T20I hundred was 112 against England in 2025. Mandhana was eventually run out after putting India in complete control.
The knock lifted her career total to 10,880 runs in 303 international innings, 12 runs clear of Raj. She also equalled Raj’s record of 93 fifty plus scores in women’s international cricket, and her 37 fifty plus scores in WT20Is remain a world record, ahead of Australia’s Beth Mooney (33).
Who Is Smriti Mandhana?
Early Life and International Debut
Smriti Shriniwas Mandhana was born on 18 July 1996 in Mumbai, Maharashtra and grew up in Madhavnagar, Sangli. Her father Shrinivas Mandhana, a chemical distributor, and mother Smita Mandhana supported her early cricket, along with elder brother Shravan, who also played at district level. Though naturally right handed, she learned to bat left handed while practising with her brother, a trait that became her trademark.
She was selected for Maharashtra Under 15 at age nine and Under 19 at age eleven. In October 2013, she became the first Indian woman to score a double century in a List A match, hammering an unbeaten 224 off 150 balls against Gujarat Under 19 at Vadodara. She made her senior domestic debut for Maharashtra at 13.
Mandhana made her international debut for India as a 16 year old during Bangladesh’s tour of India. She played her WT20I debut on 5 April 2013 at Vadodara and her WODI debut on 10 April 2013 at Ahmedabad, both against Bangladesh. Her Test debut came on 13 August 2014 against England at Wormsley, where she scored 22 and 51 and shared a 76 run opening stand with Thirush Kamini in a historic Indian win.
Rise to Stardom and Key Milestones
Mandhana first gained wide attention in the 2017 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in England, where she was among the tournament’s leading run scorers. She became the first Indian woman to score a century in all three international formats, achieved in June 2025. She holds the record for the most centuries by an Indian in WODIs (14) and now the most international centuries by any woman (18).
Known for her elegant timing and aggressive opening, she has been India’s vice-captain and a central figure in major team successes. She was part of the squads that won the Women’s Asia Cup in 2016 and 2022, the gold medal at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, the silver medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, and the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025, where India lifted its maiden ODI World Cup title. In that World Cup she scored 434 runs and finished as India’s leading run getter.
In franchise cricket, she captains Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the Women’s Premier League (WPL). RCB bought her for ₹3.4 crore in the inaugural auction in February 2023, making her the most expensive player. She led RCB to WPL titles in 2024 and 2026, scoring 377 runs in 2026 to win the Orange Cap as the tournament’s highest run scorer. She has also played in the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) for Brisbane Heat, Hobart Hurricanes, Sydney Thunder and Adelaide Strikers, and in England’s The Hundred for Southern Brave.
Her honours include the ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year (Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy) in 2018 and 2021, ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year in 2018 and 2024, the Arjuna Award in 2019, and being named Wisden Leading Woman Cricketer in the World for 2024. She currently ranks No. 1 in ICC Women’s ODI batting and inside the top five in T20Is, and wears jersey number 18.
Who Was the Previous Record Holder Mithali Raj?
Mithali Dorai Raj was born on 3 December 1982 in Jodhpur, Rajasthan and grew up in Hyderabad, Telangana. A right handed top order batter and right arm leg break bowler, she captained India from 2004 to 2022 and is regarded as one of the greatest batters in women’s cricket.
Raj made her WODI debut on 26 June 1999 against Ireland at Milton Keynes, scoring an unbeaten 114 at age 16. She made her Test debut on 14 January 2002 against England, and her WT20I debut on 5 August 2006 against England. In only her third Test, in August 2002 at Taunton, she scored 214 against England, then the highest individual score in women’s Tests and now the second highest for India.
Over a 23 year career, she played 12 Tests (699 runs at 43.68), 232 ODIs (7,805 runs at 50.68) and 89 T20Is (2,364 runs at 37.52), for a combined 10,868 runs across all formats in 333 matches. She remains the highest run scorer in women’s ODIs by a wide margin and was the first woman to cross 7,000 ODI runs. In July 2021 she overtook Charlotte Edwards (10,273 runs) to become the leading run scorer in women’s international cricket, a position she held until Mandhana’s knock.
Raj led India to the Women’s ODI World Cup finals in 2005 and 2017, becoming the only Indian captain to lead in two ODI World Cup finals. She holds records for most ODIs played (232), most ODIs as captain (155 with 89 wins), most consecutive ODIs for India (109), and most fifty plus scores in ODIs (64). She is the first player to score seven consecutive fifties in ODIs. Her honours include Padma Shri in 2015, Arjuna Award in 2003, Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna in 2021, and Wisden Leading Woman Cricketer in the World in 2017. She announced her retirement from all international cricket on 8 June 2022 and has since taken on mentoring roles.
Mandhana has often called Raj her idol. After breaking the record, she said she never imagined going past her, and Raj publicly congratulated her, calling it a moment she was genuinely proud of and wishing her many more runs.
Smriti Mandhana vs Mithali Raj and Other Leading Run Getters
The record places two Indians at the top of the all time chart, a rare distinction. The contrast in their careers highlights how the game has evolved.
| Player | Country | Total Runs (All Formats) | Innings | Average | 100s | 50s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smriti Mandhana | India | 10,880 | 303 | 38.86 | 18 | 75 |
| Mithali Raj | India | 10,868 | 314 | 46.64 | 8 | 85 |
| Suzie Bates | New Zealand | 10,740 | 352 | 33.12 | 10 | 68 |
| Charlotte Edwards | England | 10,273 | 316 | 38.04 | 13 | 61 |
| Stafanie Taylor | West Indies | 10,007 | 307 | 40.02 | 8 | 62 |
Mandhana reached the total in 11 fewer innings than Raj and at a significantly higher tempo. Her career strike rate of 99.57 across formats is nearly 10 points higher than Bates and more than 30 points higher than Raj, reflecting her more aggressive approach as an opener. She also became the fastest woman to reach 10,000 international runs in just 281 innings, breaking Raj’s and Edwards’ benchmarks.
In format wise breakup, Mandhana has 5,411 runs in 120 ODIs at 47.88 with 14 centuries, 4,681 runs in 167 T20I innings at a strike rate above 124, and 788 runs in 16 Test innings at 52.53 with 2 centuries.
Most Centuries and Fastest Milestones
Mandhana’s 18 international centuries have taken her past Meg Lanning (17) and Laura Wolvaardt (17) to become the woman with the most international centuries. The tally includes 14 ODI hundreds, 2 Test hundreds and now 2 T20I hundreds. Her century against Hong Kong came in 57 balls, her fastest T20I century.
Other landmarks include being the second Indian to pass 50 plus scores in three consecutive WT20Is, breaking Suzie Bates’ record for most career half centuries in WT20Is, and scoring 1,659 international runs in 2024, which broke Belinda Clark’s 28 year old record for most runs in a calendar year. In 2025 she became the first woman to score more than 1,000 ODI runs in a calendar year and scored five ODI centuries in 2025, equalling the record for most ODI hundreds in a year.
The Women’s Asia Cup 2026 Context
Format, Schedule and Venue
The 2026 Women’s Twenty20 Asia Cup is the 10th edition of the Women’s Asia Cup and the 6th edition played in T20I format. It is being held from 28 August to 13 September 2026 in the United Arab Emirates, with all 15 matches at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, also called the Dubai Sports City Cricket Stadium.
The tournament is branded as the DP World Women’s T20 Asia Cup 2026. Eight teams are competing, split into two groups. Group A features India, Pakistan, Thailand and Hong Kong, China, while Group B features Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, United Arab Emirates and Indonesia. The top two teams from each group advance to the semi finals on 10 and 11 September, followed by the final on 13 September. All matches start at 6:30 PM local time (8:00 PM IST) under lights. Sri Lanka are the defending champions after beating India in the 2024 final.
India, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, began its campaign against Thailand on 30 August, faced Hong Kong on 3 September, and then played the high profile India versus Pakistan clash on 5 September. The Dubai stadium has hosted 19 women’s T20Is before this edition and was also the venue for the 2024 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.
Dubai International Stadium and Its Profile
The Dubai International Cricket Stadium was established in 2009 on the premises of Dubai Sports City. It is owned by Dubai Properties and the Emirates Cricket Board and was designed by Canadian architect Awsam Matloob. It has a seating capacity of 25,000, expandable to 30,000, with a pitch diameter of 148 metres and a distinctive Ring of Fire floodlight system of 350 lights fixed around the roof rim that minimises shadows.
It is one of three main UAE grounds, along with Sharjah Cricket Stadium and Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi. It has staged more than 130 international matches, including the 2018 Asia Cup final, the 2021 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup semi final and final, the 2022 Asia Cup, the 2024 Women’s T20 World Cup, and India’s matches in the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy. For the Women’s Asia Cup 2026, ticket prices start from AED 20, with sales through the District app.
Significance for Indian and Women’s Cricket
Mandhana’s record is more than a personal milestone. It marks a generational shift in Indian women’s cricket, with the leading run scorer passing from the player who built the foundation over 23 years to the player who has taken the team into the era of professional leagues and global visibility.
For India, having the top two run scorers in history underlines sustained batting excellence. For the women’s game overall, the record draws fresh attention at a time when search interest in women cricket, India versus Pakistan women, and the Women’s Asia Cup points table has surged by more than 2,000 percent during the tournament week. The fact that the record came in a match against an emerging team like Hong Kong also highlights the expanding reach of the Asia Cup, which now includes Indonesia alongside established sides.
Statistically, the achievement underscores consistency and adaptability across formats. Mandhana is the only Indian woman with centuries in Tests, ODIs and T20Is, and she averages more than 47 in ODIs and more than 52 in Tests while maintaining a T20I strike rate above 125. Her partnership with Shafali Verma has also yielded 29 fifty plus stands in T20Is, the most by any pair in the format, and her partnership record extends India’s depth at the top of the order.
At 30 years of age and with active careers ahead in ODIs, T20Is and the WPL, Mandhana is well placed to extend the record further. The feat also adds momentum to India’s bid for the Asia Cup title, with the knock helping India post one of the highest totals in the tournament’s history.
The Way Forward
India will look to carry the momentum from Mandhana’s form into the knockout stage of the Women’s Asia Cup 2026, with semi finals on 10 and 11 September and the final on 13 September. For Mandhana, the immediate goals will be to anchor India’s title challenge and to build on her position at the top of both the all time runs and centuries lists.
Longer term, the focus will shift to the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 cycle and bilateral series, where she will aim to close in on 7,000 ODI runs and add to her T20I tally. With the Women’s Premier League continuing to raise standards and income, and with the Dubai feat inspiring younger batters, the demand for consistent, high scoring openers in women’s cricket is expected to grow further.
Key Takeaways
- Smriti Mandhana scored 124 off 64 balls against Hong Kong on 3 September 2026 at Dubai International Stadium to reach 10,880 runs across all formats.
- She surpassed Mithali Raj’s 10,868 runs to become the highest run scorer in women’s international cricket, achieved in 303 innings.
- The knock was her 18th international century, making her the first woman with the most centuries (18) ahead of Meg Lanning (17), and the first Indian woman with two T20I centuries.
- Her 124 is the highest individual score in Women’s T20 Asia Cup history, overtaking Chamari Athapaththu’s 119 not out (2024).
- The 2026 Women’s Asia Cup is the 10th edition (6th in T20 format), held from 28 August to 13 September 2026 at the Dubai International Stadium (capacity 25,000, expandable to 30,000, established 2009).
- Smriti Mandhana, born 18 July 1996 in Mumbai, is vice-captain of India, captain of Royal Challengers Bengaluru and winner of WPL titles in 2024 and 2026 and the 2025 ODI World Cup.
