In the thrilling final of the Women's Asian Cup 2026, the Indian squad achieved a convincing victory over Sri Lanka by a margin of 72 runs, thereby adding a brilliant trophy to its arsenal. Throughout the entire match, the dominance of the Indian athletes was evident.
The players who batted first on the field created a real storm, and subsequently, the bowlers forced the Sri Lankan batsmen to concede. Thus, India once again confirmed its status as a dominant force.
Choosing the toss, the Indian team started the game with batting. Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma provided an explosive start, setting a record partnership of 129 runs in the first innings. Shafali scored 68 runs, hitting 9 fours and 2 sixes off 39 balls. Smriti Mandhana also played a powerful innings, scoring 59 runs with 5 fours and 3 sixes off the same 39 balls.
However, after Shafali lost her wicket at a score of 129, the Indian momentum slightly faltered. The score, which could have exceeded 200 at that moment, stopped at 183 because the middle-order players could not handle the pressure. Ultimately, thanks to small contributions from Richa Ghosh (17 runs) and J. Kamalini (15* runs), India posted a substantial total of 183 runs in 20 overs, losing 5 batsmen.
The Sri Lankan team, which needed to chase a large target of 184 runs, faced a very poor start. Kranti Gaude put pressure on Sri Lanka, delivering early blows and forcing the team into a defensive posture. Nevertheless, captain Chamari Attapattu and Wismi Gunaratne tried to restore hope to the team by forming a partnership of over fifty runs, but Dipti Sharma ended these remaining hopes by dismissing both batsmen in one spell.
After this, Sri Charani broke the back of Sri Lanka by unleashing her spin magic, sending Harshita Samarwickrama and Kavisha Dilhari to the pavilion. The Sri Lankan team managed to score only 111 runs, and India won the Asian Cup final by 72 runs, hoisting the trophy high.
