India Reclaim Women’s Asia Cup With 72-Run Win Over Sri Lanka

India reclaimed the Women’s Asia Cup title emphatically on Sunday, beating defending champions Sri Lanka by 72 runs in the final at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana supplied the foundation with a 129-run opening partnership as India posted 183 for five after choosing to bat. Shree Charani then took four wickets as Sri Lanka were bowled out for 111 in 20 overs.

The victory gave India a record-extending eighth Women’s Asia Cup title and restored the trophy after Sri Lanka had beaten them in the 2024 final.

Shafali and Mandhana dominate the opening overs

India’s innings revolved around an explosive start from its two established openers.

Shafali made 68 from 39 balls, while Mandhana scored 59 from the same number of deliveries. Their 129-run stand came in just 12.5 overs and put India firmly in control of the first half of the final.

Shafali reached her half-century from 24 balls, the fastest fifty recorded in the Women’s T20 Asia Cup. Her innings combined aggressive strokeplay with the kind of early scoring that prevented Sri Lanka from settling into the contest.

Mandhana provided the other side of the partnership, maintaining the scoring rate while Shafali attacked. She brought up her 36th T20I half-century during the innings.

The 129-run partnership was also a tournament record for an opening stand in the Women’s T20 Asia Cup. It gave India the platform for what initially looked like an even bigger total.

Sri Lanka’s bowlers, however, recovered during the closing overs. India scored 43 runs in the final five overs and finished on 183 for five.

Sri Lanka’s chase never gathers momentum

The target of 184 demanded a strong start from Sri Lanka, but India’s bowlers kept taking wickets before the defending champions could build a sustained partnership.

Captain Chamari Athapaththu top-scored with 36 from 32 balls, but Sri Lanka lacked the support needed to keep pace with the required rate.

Shree Charani was the key figure with the ball. The left-arm spinner finished with four wickets for 20 runs, while Deepti Sharma also played a major role in breaking up Sri Lanka’s chase.

Sri Lanka eventually slipped to 111 all out from their 20 overs, leaving India with a 72-run victory.

The margin reflected India’s control across both innings. The batting effort created pressure, and the bowling attack ensured Sri Lanka never came close to mounting a serious chase.

India restore their position at the top

The result continues India’s dominance in the history of the Women’s Asia Cup.

India had won the first four editions of the competition before Bangladesh took the 2018 title. India then won the 2022 tournament, while Sri Lanka claimed their maiden title in 2024 after defeating India in the final.

The 2026 final therefore carried an added element of significance for India. The same two teams met again in the title match, but this time India produced a decisive performance with both bat and ball.

For Harmanpreet Kaur’s team, the victory also adds another major title to a period of success for Indian women’s cricket. India won their first ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in 2025, defeating South Africa in the final in Navi Mumbai.

A tournament shaped by India’s experienced core

Mandhana entered the Asia Cup having already produced one of the tournament’s standout individual performances.

Earlier in the competition, she scored 124 against Hong Kong, China, becoming the leading run-scorer in women’s international cricket across formats and moving past Mithali Raj’s previous aggregate, according to the ICC.

Shafali had also made an immediate impact in India’s opening match against Thailand, scoring 64 from 36 balls in a 94-run victory.

Their form continued into the final, where their partnership effectively put Sri Lanka on the back foot before India’s bowlers completed the job.

The tournament had also required India to adjust to the absence of Jemimah Rodrigues, who was ruled out after suffering a high-grade hamstring tear. Pratika Rawal was named as her replacement in India’s Asia Cup squad.

India finish the final without leaving room for a comeback

Sri Lanka had entered the final as defending champions, but India’s performance left little opportunity for another upset.

The opening partnership between Shafali and Mandhana established the advantage. Charani and the rest of India’s bowling attack then converted that advantage into a comfortable victory.

For Sri Lanka, Athapaththu’s 36 was not enough to sustain the chase after wickets fell at regular intervals.

For India, the 72-run margin secured an eighth Women’s Asia Cup title and marked a successful return to the top of the competition.

The title is India’s fourth since the tournament moved to the T20 format in 2012.