Nepal crashed out of the ACC Women’s T20 Asia Cup from group stage after they suffered an 82-run defeat against defending champions India at Dambulla in Sri Lanka on Tuesday.

Chasing a huge 179-run target, Nepal could only manage 96-9 at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium, suffering their second defeat of the tournament.

Nepal finished the Group A in third position with two points from three games. They had defeated the United Arab Emirates by six wickets in the tournament opener.

In the second group game, Nepal lost to Pakistan by nine wickets on Sunday.

The defeat against Pakistan had left Nepal needing a big victory against powerhouse India to stand any chance of progressing.

But the 179-run target proved too much for Nepal’s batters who kept falling at regular intervals, with bowlers Deepti Sharma (3-13), Radha Yadav (2-12) and Arundhati Reddy (2-28) doing almost all the damage.

Opener Samjhana Khadka, whose unbeaten half-century had guided Nepal to a famous victory against the UAE, could not impress again as she left the crease in the second over in the same fashion as she did against Pakistan, making just seven runs. She was bowled by Reddy.

Kabita Kunwar (6 off 11) departed next when Renuka Singh had her caught by India captain Smriti Mandhana before Nepal skipper Indu Barma (14 off 18) fell to Yadav, as Nepal struggled to find momentum.

Sita Rana Magar, who top scored for Nepal with 18 runs off 22, too fell to Reddy the next over as Nepal found themselves in serious trouble at 52-4.

Sharma then removed Rubina Chhetri (15 off 16) and Kabia Joshi for a duck in the 14 over that killed off any hopes of Nepal revival.

Puja Mahato (2 off 12) and Dollly Bhatta (5 off 4) also left without doing much.

Bindu Rawal offered some resistance with 17 not out off 19 balls but the game was already lost.

Earlier, India posted 178-3 from their 20 overs after electing to bat first.

Openers Shafali Verma scored her career best 81 runs off 48 balls and Dayalan Hemalatha made 47 off 42 balls in their opening stand of 122 runs to lay the foundation for an imposing total.

Shafali smashed 12 fours and a six. The opening pair’s 122-run partnership is the highest opening stand in the Women’s T20 Asia Cup and the second-highest for any wicket.

"As an opener, you don't have a lot of games when you don't get to bat. Really happy with the way Shafali batted...We finished off really well,” India captain Mandhana said of the openers.

India were 114-0 after 13 overs and it appeared they would cross the 200-run mark again.

But experienced left-arm spinner Rana Magar dismissed both openers to check the run-flow.

Rana Magar first had Hemalatha caught by Chhetri in the 13.6 overs that also denied the batter her maiden T20I fifty, and then dismissed Verma in the 15.3 overs with the help of a quick response from wicket keeper Kajal Shrestha—which briefly put lid on the defending champions.

Rana Magar finished her four-over spell with the match figures of 2-25.

But Jemimah Rodrigues’ 28 not out off 15 balls ensured India finished their innings near 180-run total.

Kabita Joshi also picked a wicket for Nepal, trapping Sajeevan Sajana leg in front.

“Proud of my team, and the effort we put in…I think we realised our weakness. We'll come back stronger. We got a lot of exposure playing against India. Definitely happy with my team,” said Indu Barma, whose side will still return home on a positive note after giving Nepal their first ever win at the Women’s Asia Cup in their three tournament appearances.

“My teammates and I got lots of experience playing against India and Pakistan,” Barma added.

The output gave India three wins from three games and a place in the semi-finals for a ninth successive edition. The Indians are the most successful side of the tournament having won seven of the past eight editions.

Pakistan, who earlier defeated the United Arab Emirates by 10 wickets, also qualified for the last four after collecting four points from three matches. Pakistan were runners-up in 2012 and 2016.