India Women Win Asian Games 2026 Gold, Beat Sri Lanka by 147 Runs
India opened its gold-medal account at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Tuesday as Harmanpreet Kaur’s women’s cricket team defeated Sri Lanka by 147 runs in the final at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin, Japan.
The victory took India’s overall medal tally to seven — one gold, four silver and two bronze — after the country had gone through the opening days of the Games without a top-podium finish.
India’s win also gave the women’s cricket team consecutive Asian Games gold medals, following its title-winning campaign at the previous edition in Hangzhou.
Mandhana and Shafali set up India’s record total
After winning the toss, Harmanpreet elected to bat and India immediately put Sri Lanka under pressure.
Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma added 99 runs for the opening wicket, providing the platform for a huge total. Mandhana top-scored with 79 from 45 deliveries, while Shafali made 48 off 29.
Richa Ghosh then supplied the late acceleration, finishing unbeaten on 49 from 22 balls as India reached 216 for three in their 20 overs. The total was reported as the highest in Asian Games women’s cricket.
Mandhana’s innings also carried a personal milestone. She became the first woman to cross 11,000 international runs during the final.
Sri Lanka bowled out for 69
The chase never developed into a contest.
India’s bowlers repeatedly broke through Sri Lanka’s batting order, with the Sri Lankan side eventually dismissed for 69. The innings lasted only 15.4 overs, handing India a 147-run victory.
The margin was also a new landmark for India’s women’s T20I team, surpassing its previous biggest victory by runs.
The result completed a dominant tournament for the defending champions and secured another gold medal against the same opponent that India had defeated in the previous Asian Games final.
India’s medal tally reaches seven
Before the cricket final, India had six medals at Aichi-Nagoya: four silver and two bronze. Shooting accounted for most of those medals, while Suchika Tariyal had secured India’s bronze in mixed martial arts.
The cricket gold therefore moved India to seven medals overall.
The result also means India and Pakistan have now each won two Asian Games gold medals in women’s cricket, according to reports following the final.
Sri Lanka took silver, while Pakistan secured the bronze after beating Bangladesh in the third-place playoff.
A second consecutive Asian Games title
India entered the tournament as defending champions and progressed through the knockout stage before setting up another final against Sri Lanka.
The International Cricket Council had identified the two teams as the finalists after India beat Bangladesh by 114 runs in the semifinal and Sri Lanka defeated Pakistan to reach the title match.
The final turned out to be considerably more one-sided than their previous meeting in the title match.
For India, the victory provides its first gold of the 2026 Asian Games while the women’s cricket team leaves the tournament with another continental title.
The wider Games continue through October 4, with India still involved in events across several sports. The men’s cricket tournament is scheduled to begin later in the competition, with India entering the quarter-final stage.
This story may be updated as new information becomes available.
