Kathmandu: Nepal faced a significant defeat to India by 82 runs in today's Women's T20 Asia Cup 2024 match held in Dambulla, Sri Lanka.

India, winning the toss and electing to bat first, set a challenging target by scoring 178 runs for the loss of three wickets in their allotted 20 overs. Shafali Verma starred for India, scoring a formidable 81 runs off 48 balls. She received solid support from Dayalan Hemalatha, who contributed 47 runs off 42 balls, and Jemimah Rodrigues, who added a quick 28 runs off 15 balls.

For Nepal, Sita Rana Magar was the standout bowler, taking two wickets, while Kabita Joshi chipped in with one wicket.

In response, Nepal struggled to keep up with the required run rate, managing only 96 runs for the loss of nine wickets in their 20 overs. Sita Rana Magar was the top scorer for Nepal with 18 runs off 22 balls, followed by Indu Verma, Rubina Chhetry, and Bindu Rawal, who also reached double figures.

India's bowling attack proved too strong for the Nepalese lineup, with Deepti Sharma taking three wickets. Arundhati Reddy and Radha Yadav took two wickets each, while Renuka Singh claimed one.

With this match, Nepal has now played three games in the tournament, winning one and losing two, and earning a total of two points. The group also includes teams from Pakistan and the UAE.