On Sunday, India emerged victorious in the Women’s Asia Cup 2026 final with a 72-run victory over Sri Lanka in Dubai. With the win, India secured their revenge for their loss to Sri Lanka in the final of the 2024 Asia Cup and lifted their tally to eight Asia Cup championships.
After winning the toss, India captain Harmanpreet Kaur opted to bat first. Openers Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma provided India with a flying start, producing a record 129-run partnership.
Shafali was more competitive and at her half-century just 24 balls in before proving to be is a 68 off 39 balls. Mandhana added 50 in 35 balls, scored 59 before getting run out after a misfielding situation with Harmanpreet.
India managed to put up a strong 183/5 from their 20 overs, and still lose wickets in the last stages to set a tough target for Sri Lanka.
But there was no breakthrough as India’s bowlers were under pressure all in the game. Shree Charani took four wickets and Deepti Sharma took three wickets leading the attack to bring the Sri Lankan batting line-up down.
India had won comprehensively to defend their winning streak and build their dominance in the Women’s Asia Cup.
Another highlight of their strong final performance was during the presentation ceremony. In an immersive nod to the political realm, the Indian side, which has played quite admirably thus far, refused to accept the victory accolades from the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president and PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi in a move to put a tinge of politics into the victory celebrations.