Mithali Raj, the current Test and ODI captain of Indian Women's Cricket team entered into an elite list. She now has the second longest career in ODI cricket history. The data is in terms of days played at the international level.

With the ongoing India Women's and South Africa Women's series going on, Raj set up the records. However, the "Lady Tendulkar" of Indian Cricket has many records in her kitty. Though, she would feel very proud to feature in this list of players with the longest career in ODI cricket history.

Longest career in ODI Cricket History

#1 Sachin Tendulkar - 22 years 91 days

Sachin Tendulkar has played international cricket more than anyone in the history of the game. Perhaps, his 200 test matches and 22 years of International cricket can not be matched. It was his longevity and consistency at the highest level, made him the "GOD of Cricket".

Sachin had debuted against the Pakistan Cricket team on 18 December 1989. After that, he scored the most number of ODI runs, the most number of test runs, and the most number of international centuries as well. He was the first-ever batsman to hit an ODI double ton. He is also the only player with 30,000 international runs.

Sachin retired from ODI cricket in December 2012. His last ODI match was against the Pakistan Cricket team on 18 March 2012. He is the player with the longest career in ODI cricket history.

Also Read: Most sixes in T20 Internationals by a batsman: Cricket Records

#2 Mithali Raj- 21 years 254 days*

Mithali Raj is the only player (male or female ) who can get close to the record of Sachin Tendulkar. Though, it would be impossible for her to play as many matches that Sachin did. However, surely she can pass the record of the longest career in terms of days.

Mithali debuted at the age of 16, against Ireland on 26 June 1999. Since then, Mithali has scored more runs than any other Indian Women Cricketer. She is the highest run-scorer in women's international cricket. long with that, she was also the first-ever female cricketer with 6000 ODI runs. Another record in her kitty is that she was also the first (male or female) Indian Cricketer with 2000 T2OI runs. She is also the only Indian captain to lead the team in a Cricket World Cup Final (2005, 2017).

Also Read: Jhulan Goswami - India's most inspiring sportswomen

Raj's career of 21 years and 254 days is still going strong. She is also thinking of a strong finish to her career with the next Women's World cup round the corner.

#3 Sanath Jayasurya - 21 years 184 days

The legendary all-rounder from Sri Lanka had the longest career in ODI cricket at the time of his retirement. Sanath had an international career spanning over four decades.

Sanath debuted against Australia on 26 December 1989. Post that he changed the way openers used to play. Perhaps, he was the first batsman to inject the power-hitting cricket up the order in ODI cricket. He is the only cricketer to have score 10000 ODI runs and take 300 ODI wickets at the same time.

Sanath retired from the One-day international cricket on 28 June 2011. His illustrated career is one of the most underrated careers in the history of the game.

The ICC has officially announced that the Final of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 will be held at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground on 5th July. The news was shared during a special launch event at Lord’s on 1st May.

Alongside this major reveal, it was confirmed that the matches will also be played at other popular venues across England, including Edgbaston, the Hampshire Bowl, Headingley, Old Trafford, The Oval, and the Bristol County Ground.

The tournament is set to kick off on 12th June and will run for 24 days, featuring a total of 33 matches leading up to the highly anticipated final at Lord’s. The complete match schedule is expected to be released soon.

Featuring a record 12 teams, the 2026 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup will be the biggest edition in the tournament’s history. With two more teams than the previous edition, fans can expect fierce competition as the world’s top sides battle it out for the title.

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Qualified Teams for the Women's T20 World Cup 2026

Four additional teams will join them through the Qualifier scheduled next year.

The 12 teams will be split into two groups of six for the group stage, followed by the knockout rounds and finals.

Official Statement

ICC Chairman Jay Shah opened up about the tournament, saying, "The confirmation of venues represents a defining moment as we build towards the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026"

"The sell-out Women’s Cricket World Cup final at Lord’s in 2017 remains a landmark in the rise of the women’s game, and I cannot think of a more fitting stage for the final."

"As we turn our focus to preparing for the tournament, we are excited by the promise of thrilling T20 action that will not only captivate fans here but also serve as a showcase for cricket’s return on the Olympic stage in Los Angeles 2028."

Legacy

Moving on from the most recent edition, hosted by Bangladesh in the UAE in 2024, saw New Zealand claim their first-ever title, defeating South Africa by 32 runs in the final.

The 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup will mark the milestone 10th edition of the tournament, which began in 2009.

India continue their winning run in the Tri-Nation Women's ODI series by defeating South Africa by 15 runs. After posting a daunting total of 276, with a stand out performance from Pratika Rawal scoring 78 of 91 balls, the South Africans came out with intent in the second half.

Tazmin Britz's century gave real hope to the South Africans, but she had to retire hurt due to cramps. The Indian team took crucial wickets during key moments and turned the match in their favor.

India set a strong total with a team effort

India posted a strong total, thanks to a brilliant 78 from Pratika Rawal, who became the fastest to reach 500 ODI runs in women's cricket. Both Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues scored 41 runs pushing the total to 276. 

Read Also | Pratika Rawal becomes the fastest to reach 500 ODI runs in women's cricket

For South Africa, Nonkululeko Mlaba was the standout bowler with two wickets. Most of the others took one each, except Sune Luus and Chloe Tryon. However, Annerie Dercksen was quite expensive with the ball, which may have made the difference in the end.

South Africa starts strong but suffers setbacks

Chasing a big target, South Africa's openers came out firing, putting pressure on the Indian bowlers from the start. They made the most of the powerplay and built a strong 140-run stand, putting their team in a good position.

Laura Wolvaardt got a good start before getting out, while Tazmin Brits was in great form, scoring a brilliant century with ease. She got good support from Sune Luus for a while, but Luus’s dismissal came at a tough moment. Things got worse when Brits had to retire hurt due to cramps, with about 100 runs still needed.

The turning point

That moment Brits retired hurt was the turning point of the match as India took full advantage by taking key wickets. Chloe Tryon and Annerie Dercksen tried to keep South Africa in the game with some big hits. But things changed completely in the 48th over when Sneh Rana dismissed both batters and also removed Tazmin Brits, who had returned.

Rana finished with a brilliant five-wicket haul, while Arundhati Reddy, Shree Charani, and Deepti Sharma took one wicket each.

South Africa, despite being in control for most of the chase, lost their last six wickets for just 21 runs and fell short by 15 runs in a match they seemed set to win.

Read Also | Tri-Nation Series 2025: India vs Sri Lanka Women's ODI Match Report | Dominant India registers easy victory on Sri Lankan soil

Post-Match presentations

Sneh Rana was named the Player of the Match for her fantastic fifer. She said she focused on using variations and taking the pace off the ball, just like her captain and the team had advised.

She added that she never gives up and always tries to give her best whenever the team needs her. 

India's captain Harmanpreet Kaur said the team gave their 100% from the very first ball. She highlighted fielding as the key difference, saying they saved at least 20 runs.

She ended by saying she’s very happy with the bowlers, who gave everything to help secure the win.

Match Summary

IND-W: 276/6 (50) | Pratika Rawal 78; Nonkululeko Mlaba 10-55-2

RSA-W: 261 (49.2/50) | Tazmin Brits 109; Sneh Rana 10-43-5

Young Indian women's cricket team batsman Pratika Rawal created history on Tuesday by becoming the fastest batter to reach 500 runs in Women’s ODI in the second match of the triangular series against South Africa at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.

Pratika Rawal and Smriti Mandhana gave the Indian innings a strong start and shared a crucial 83-run partnership for the first wicket. Mandhana scored 36 runs off 54 balls but was caught out by Annerie Dercksen and returned to the pavilion. Pratika continued her excellent form and completed 500 runs in her ODI career.

Also Read: Top 10 fastest centuries in Women's T20Is

New record in women's cricket

Pratika Rawal reached the 500-run mark in just her eighth innings, surpassing England’s Charlotte Edwards, who had held the previous record of nine innings. Rawal achieved this in the fourth over of India’s innings, when she collected a single off Masabata Klaas after pulling a short-pitched delivery.

Earlier in the first match of the series, Rawal had won the 'Player of the Match' title by scoring an unbeaten 50 runs off 62 balls, where India registered a spectacular victory by 9 wickets.

Consecutive fifty-plus scores in ODIs

In the match against South Africa, 24-year-old Pratika Rawal played an important innings of 78 runs in 91 balls, which included 1 six and 7 fours. She brought up her half-century in 58 deliveries, reaching the milestone with a six. With this, Rawal also became only the second Indian woman, after Mithali Raj, to register five consecutive fifty-plus scores in ODIs.

Rawal also strengthened the Indian innings by sharing 68 runs with Harleen Deol for the second wicket. Her innings was crucial in taking the team's score to a good level. Although she was bowled by Nonkululeko Mlaba, by then she had already made a big contribution.

Rawal's streak began with an 89 against Ireland

Rawal's streak began with an 89 against Ireland in Rajkot, followed by scores of 67 and 154 in the same series. She continued with an unbeaten 50 against Sri Lanka before her knock against South Africa. In eight innings so far, Rawal has accumulated 572 runs, including one century and five fifties, at an average exceeding 80.

Rawal made her ODI debut in December 2024 against the West Indies in Vadodara, replacing Shafali Verma at the top of the order. She scored 40, 76, and 18 in that series before making an impact against Ireland earlier this year. Her consistent performances have quickly elevated her to one of India’s most promising top-order batters.

With this world record, Rawal also overtakes Mithali Raj’s Indian record of reaching 500 ODI runs in 13 innings, and becomes the fastest Indian — across men’s and women’s ODIs — to reach the landmark, ahead of Shubman Gill’s 10 innings.

The excitement of the triangular series continues

The tri-series being played between the women's teams of India, Sri Lanka and South Africa has started from April 27. Under this series, every team will play two matches each against the other two teams.

The top two teams in the points table after all the league matches will face each other for the title in the final on May 11. In this series, the players are getting a good opportunity to get into form and test the team combination.

India started the Tri-Nation Women's ODI series with a winning note as they defeated the host Sri Lanka by 9 wickets. India chased down Sri Lanka's 148-run target with 56 balls remaining in the match after Indian spinners dominated the Sri Lankan batters in the first innings.

The match was initially interrupted by rain which resulted in the loss of overs, reducing to 39 overs a side. Indian announced their arrival with an impressively controlled victory at the R. Premadasa Stadium stadium, Colombo.

Indian spinners dominated the game from the start

The Sri Lankan team, batting first, struggled to build partnership and were bowled out for 147 in 38.1 overs. Indian bowlers dominated the entire first inning with Arundhati Reddy dismissing the Sri Lankan captain Chamari Athapaththu and getting an early wicket for the team. It followed by an exceptional bowling performance leading to a constant flow of wickets, which completely shattered Sri Lanka’s batting line-up.

Sneh Rana was a star performer, who took 3 crucial wickets for India, with Deepti Sharma and Sree Charani taking 2 wickets each. Additionally, the on-field efforts of the Indian team was commendable in today's match.

During the second inning, India started off comfortably with the bat, without trying to rush things out. The opening pair, Smriti Mandhana and Pratika Rawal, formed a partnership of 54 runs for the first wicket. Smriti Mandhana missed out on her 31st ODI half-century and was dismissed at 43 (off 46 balls). 

Harleen Deol came to bat next and played composed cricket, scoring 48 runs from 71 balls. Sri Lanka failed to take more wickets, and Harleen Deol sealed the win for India with her exceptional half-century from 62 balls.

Both teams fielded 2 debutants

Kashvee Gautam (22-year-old), who impressed the fans with her bowling for Gujarat Giants in the WPL 2025, along with the star of Delhi Capitals, Sree Charani (20-year-old), made their International debut for India in this match. Charani picked up 2 wickets with an economy of 3.25 in today's match.

Sri Lanka also handed debuts to Malki Madara and Piumi Badalge.

India's shield-like batting power 

The Indian batters showcased an amazing quality of batting in this format. Smriti Mandhana, along with Pratika Rawal, provided a good start in the initial overs. They kept the flow of runs going with their bat. Smriti departed at 43 (from 46 balls) while trying to loft the ball over the bowler (Inoka Ranaweera), and wasn't lucky enough to make it through.

Harleen Deol stepped in after the wicket and made no mistakes, adding 48 runs off 71 balls from her bat. Pratika Rawal scored 50 off 62 balls, putting the winning runs on the board for India.

It felt like Indian batters were quite difficult to get out and stood up like solid walls, without losing their wickets. 

Steady headstart for India

India's win has lift up the team's spirit and confidence to another level. This was also a glimpse of the solid form and composure that the players hold in this Tri-series squad. 

In today's match, each bowler had an economy below 5, and the batters were incredible in chasing down the total, without losing many wickets.

The challenge ahead for Sri Lanka 

This defeat against India serves as a reminder for Sri Lanka to assess and improve their shortcomings. They failed to build partnership throughout the game, which led to a low total on the board. Hasini Perera's 30 from 46 balls was the highest score by a Sri Lankan batter in this match. 

Immediate Reflections and Long-term Goals

This being the ODI World Cup year, the immediate reflections for both the teams would be to shape their strategies, set grounds and make effective adjustments with the stage of the Tri-Nation ODI series among India, Sri Lanka, and South Africa.

Score Summary

SL-W: 147 (38.1/39) | Kavisha Dilhari 25; Sneh Rana 8-31-3

IND-W: 149 (29.4/39) | Pratika Rawal 50* (62); Harleen Deol 48* (71)

The seventeenth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is all set to begin on Friday, March 22 with a huge clash between Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore at Chennai. IPL has seen several world-class players over the years. The best players in the world, like Kohli, Gayle, AB de Villiers, and Warner, have scored plenty of runs in the league. So it's time we have a look at the players with the most runs in IPL history.

Also Read: MS Dhoni Captaincy Record and Stats in IPL

Top Five Players with Most Runs in IPL History

Virat Kohli holds the record for scoring the most runs in IPL. He is in the top of this list with 7263 runs in 237 matches, including 7 centuries and 50 fifties. Virat has scored those runs at an average of 37.24 and a strike rate of 130.02. His best season came in 2016 when he made an incredible 973 runs in a single season, including 4 hundreds which is still the highest individual runs in a single season.

Shikhar Dhawan is second on the list in terms of scoring the most runs in IPL. He has been consistent in the IPL, crossing the 400-run mark each season from 2016 to 2022. Dhawan has scored 6617 runs in 217 games at an average of 35.38, including 2 centuries and 50 half-centuries. His best season came in the 2020 season when he scored 618 runs with 2 centuries and 4 half-centuries. 

The former captain of Hyderabad, David Warner, is the top run-getter among the foreign players and comes third overall. He has made 6397 runs in 176 matches at an average of 41.53 and a strike rate of 139.91. He has scored 4 centuries and 61 half-centuries in the Indian cash-rich league. His best season came in 2016 when he made 848 runs with 9 fifties.

The Hitman, Rohit Sharma is one of the most dangerous batsmen in the IPL. He has led Mumbai Indians to five titles so far. Rohit began his IPL career with Deccan in 2008 before joining Mumbai in 2011. In 243 matches, Rohit Sharma has scored 6211 runs at an average of 29.57, with 1 hundred and 42 half-centuries. The Hitman is the 2nd highest six-hitter in IPL with 256 sixes. 

Mr. IPL, Suresh Raina has been a key member for Chennai in the league. He has been always consistent for CSK and led the team to 4 titles and 5 runner-up titles. In 205 matches, Raina has scored 5528 runs at a fantastic strike rate of 136.76, with 1 hundred and 39 fifties. Raina retired from international cricket in 2020 and from IPL in 2022.