India 183 for 5 (Shafali 68, Mandhana 59, Ayodhya 1-33) beat Sri Lanka 111 all out (Athapaththu 36, Charani 4-20, Deepti 3-19) by 72 runs
India’s women completed a dominant campaign to win their eighth Asia Cup title on Sunday, defeating Sri Lanka by 72 runs in the final in Dubai. Yet the celebrations were overshadowed by a delayed and abruptly ended trophy presentation, with the Indian team not coming forward to receive the tournament silverware from Asian Cricket Council president Mohsin Naqvi.
The scenes closely resembled last year’s men’s Asia Cup final, when India also refused to accept the trophy from Naqvi. On Sunday, Sri Lanka’s players took part in the presentation and received their runners-up medals, but the ceremony ended before India were presented with their medals or trophy.
The presentation was delayed by nearly 50 minutes, with Naqvi, who is also chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board and Pakistan’s interior minister, in attendance. As the wait continued, the Indian team held its own best-fielder presentation, with fielding coach Subhadeep Ghosh handing the award to Nandani Sharma. BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia and vice-president Rajeev Shukla were also present.
India’s decision was not unexpected. Relations between the two cricketing nations have remained strained since the cross-border tensions of May 2025. India’s players have avoided handshakes with Pakistan players and representatives, and the men’s team took a similar position during last year’s Asia Cup final.
India women’s coach Amol Muzumdar defended the decision after the match.
“For us, this tournament is over, we are the champions,” Muzumdar said. “It was on the big board that India are the champions of Asia Cup 2026. This tournament is officially over for us. We’re happy that we’re the champions and we look forward to the Asian Games.”
The controversy came after India had produced a commanding performance on the field. Harmanpreet Kaur won the toss and elected to bat, and her openers immediately put Sri Lanka under pressure. Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana shared 129 for the first wicket, the highest partnership for any wicket in the history of the Women’s T20 Asia Cup.
Shafali was particularly destructive, reaching her half-century from just 24 balls, the fastest fifty in the tournament’s history. She eventually made 68, while Mandhana contributed 59 from 36 balls. Their partnership carried India to 98 without loss at the halfway stage and put the defending champions in control.
Sri Lanka fought back in the second half of the innings. Shafali was dismissed by Chamudi Praboda, and Mandhana was run out for the third time in the tournament after a mix-up with Harmanpreet. The Indian captain and Deepti Sharma also fell in successive deliveries in the 19th over.
However, G Kamalini, playing her first match of the tournament and only her second T20I, struck a four and a six from the final two balls to lift India to 183 for five. The total proved far beyond Sri Lanka’s reach.
Sri Lanka’s chase began positively when Imesha Dulani collected a boundary off Kranti Gaud, but she was bowled attempting a similar scoop soon afterwards. Vishmi Gunaratne, who had earlier appeared to injure her ankle while returning the ball and was carried from the field on a stretcher, returned to bat at No. 3.
Chamari Athapaththu offered some resistance, striking 36, but India’s bowlers kept the pressure on. Deepti Sharma dismissed Athapaththu and Gunaratne in the same over, leaving Sri Lanka needing 121 runs from the final ten overs.
India’s spin attack then took control. N Shree Charani removed Harshitha Samarawickrama, Kavisha Dilhari and Nilakshika Silva, finishing with four for 20. Deepti claimed three wickets as Sri Lanka were bowled out for 111 on the final ball of the innings.
Despite dropping five catches, India maintained their grip on the contest. Their victory extended their advantage over Sri Lanka to six wins in seven Asia Cup final meetings and secured their fourth title in the T20 format.
Harmanpreet praised her opening pair after the match, saying it was a major achievement to score 184 on Dubai’s slow pitches.
“We all knew it’s not that easy to bat, but I think our openers did an absolutely great job for us,” she said. “I’m very happy overall.”
India now turn their attention to the Asian Games, while Sri Lanka will reflect on a campaign that ended in disappointment. For the champions, however, the title was secured long before the presentation ceremony was brought to an early close.
