India Secure Record-Extending Eighth Women’s Asia Cup Title
by Devesh Jaganath | by Devesh Jaganath
Verma and Mandhana Lead India to Women’s Asia Cup Victory
India confirmed our cricket predictions by storming to a commanding 72-run victory over Sri Lanka in the final of the 2026 Women’s Asia Cup in Dubai on Sunday afternoon.
The Women in Blue dethroned Sri Lanka to secure a record-extending eighth Women’s Asia Cup title, with Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana playing key roles in the victory by providing the team with a stunning 129-run partnership for the first wicket.
After Harmanpreet Kaur won the toss and opted to bat first, Verma set the tone early by going after the Sri Lankan spinners. India raced to 57 runs by the end of the powerplay, while Verma went on to record a stunning half-century in just 24 deliveries.
Verma’s knock now stands as the fastest half-century in Women’s Asia Cup history!
India looked well on track to post a total of 200+, but Sri Lanka fought back in the second half of the innings, claiming the wickets of Verma and Mandhana in the space of five deliveries, before dismissing Kaur, Richa Ghosh, and Deepti Sharma for 36 runs combined.
Sri Lanka’s chase began positively, with Chamari Athapaththu and Vishmi Gunaratne getting the team to 62/2 by the 10th over, but after the former’s dismissal, the Sri Lankan middle order crumbled, with only Nilakshi de Silva managing a score of 20+ runs.
Shree Charani was the star of India’s bowling attack, taking four wickets for just 20 runs, while Deepti Sharma notched up three scalps for 19. Verma was handed the Player of the Match award for her knock, as well as the Player of the Tournament accolade.
India Refuse To Accept Women’s Asia Cup Victory
The presentation ceremony following the Women’s Asia Cup final turned into controversy after India refused to accept the winner’s trophy from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) President Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the Pakistan national team’s interior minister.
Social media footage showed the Indian team and support staff standing together outside their dressing room ahead of the ceremony. However, once the presentation began, they did not make their way to the stage, with no reason provided for their absence.
Head coach Amol Muzumdar mentioned in an interview later on that the decision to forego the presentation was taken by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Muzumdar said:
“That stand has been taken by the BCCI, and we stand by it. The tournament is over. We are the champions, and that’s good enough .”
India’s next assignment will come at the 2026 Asian Games, with matches scheduled to run between September 17 and October 3. The competition will be contested on a straight knockout basis, with India taking on Japan in the quarter-finals on September 18 in Nisshin.
