India successfully defended their women’s cricket gold medal at the 2026 Asian Games, crushing Sri Lanka by 147 runs in the final at Korogi Sports Park to repeat their triumph from the 2023 edition.
India’s emphatic victory was set up by a powerful batting display as they posted 216/3, their best-ever T20I total against Sri Lanka and their second-highest score in the format. The innings also featured a T20I-high 13 sixes for India.
Smriti Mandhana led the charge with a blistering 79 off 45 deliveries, while Shafali Verma contributed 48 off 29 and Richa Ghosh provided a stunning finish with an unbeaten 49 off just 22 balls.
Mandhana and Verma set the platform with a 99-run opening partnership in the first 10 overs. Mandhana took the attack to Sri Lanka’s bowlers early, particularly targeting Sugandika Kumari, and brought up her 37th T20I half-century from just 30 deliveries.
Verma, who had scored a century in the semifinal, matched her opening partner’s aggression. She struck three sixes and as many fours before her attempt at a reverse sweep against Chamudi Praboda ended in a miscued shot.
Harmanpreet Kaur came in at No. 3 following the strong opening stand but initially struggled to find her rhythm. The India captain managed only 10 runs from her first 13 balls before finding the boundary twice. She eventually fell for 19 while attempting to clear long-off.
Mandhana continued to dominate at the other end and appeared on course for a century before she was dismissed while attempting a slog sweep, finding a fielder in the deep.
India still had plenty of firepower in the middle order, and Richa Ghosh produced a spectacular finish. The wicketkeeper-batter smashed six fours and three sixes during her unbeaten 49, including a 25-run final over that took India beyond the 200-run mark and left Sri Lanka with a daunting target.
Sri Lanka, who had chased down a record target in their semifinal, never came close to producing another miracle. Apart from Chamari Athapaththu’s 29 at the top, the Sri Lankan batters struggled to build partnerships as India’s spin attack took complete control.
Deepti Sharma led the bowling effort with outstanding figures of 3/6, while Shree Charani, Shreyanka Patil and Shafali Verma picked up two wickets apiece as Sri Lanka were bowled out for 69 in 15.4 overs.
The 147-run victory gave India back-to-back Asian Games gold medals in women’s cricket and capped a dominant campaign in the 2026 edition.
Brief scores: India 216/3 in 20 overs (Smriti Mandhana 79, Richa Ghosh 49*, Shafali Verma 48; Chamudi Praboda 1/34) beat Sri Lanka 69 in 15.4 overs (Deepti Sharma 3/6, Shree Charani 2/13, Shafali Verma 2/3) by 147 runs.
