India and Sri Lanka play a second final in nine days, and Shafali Verma comes into it off 100 from 49 balls
India defend their Asian Games cricket title against Sri Lanka at Korogi Sports Park on Tuesday, nine days after beating the same opponent in the Women’s Asia Cup final.
Sep 22, 2026
India’s women play Sri Lanka for the Asian Games gold medal at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin on Tuesday, with the toss at 10am IST and the first ball half an hour later. It is the same fixture that decided the title at the last Games, and the second final the two teams have played against each other inside nine days.
Two finals, nine days apart
On 13 September in Dubai, India posted 183 for 5 in the Women’s Asia Cup final and bowled Sri Lanka out for 111. That was a 72-run win, and Sri Lanka have now lost seven T20Is in a row to India. The overall record is heavier still: 32 meetings, 26 India wins, five for Sri Lanka, one no result.
Neither side has been troubled in Japan. India beat the hosts by eight wickets in the quarter-final, chasing 58 in five overs, then removed Bangladesh for 81 in the semi-final after making 195 for 4. Sri Lanka beat Malaysia by 86 runs and then knocked off 178 against Pakistan with 13 balls to spare.
Shafali Verma against Chamari Athapaththu
Shafali Verma’s semi-final was the innings of the tournament so far. She made 100 not out from 49 balls with nine sixes, the first century by any woman in Asian Games cricket and her first in T20 internationals. Before that she had scores of 64, 68 and 40 not out, which makes four innings of real weight in a row.
Athapaththu has done the same job at the other end of the draw. Sri Lanka’s captain made 63 against Malaysia and 83 not out against Pakistan, and she has taken three wickets across the two games with returns of 2 for 3 and 1 for 30. The ground at Nisshin is not a big one. Either opener can settle this in a quarter of an hour.
Where Sri Lanka might find a way in
India’s middle order is the part of the side that has not fully clicked. Harmanpreet Kaur made 40 from 33 balls in the semi-final without ever looking at her best, and both G Kamalini and Bharti Fulmali have had chances near the top without much to show for them. Richa Ghosh is still there to swing a total late.
The problem for Sri Lanka is reaching that middle order at all, because Smriti Mandhana and Shafali have to go first. With the ball, India have Deepti Sharma, who passed Thipatcha Putthawong to become the leading wicket-taker in women’s T20 internationals during the Asia Cup earlier this month, alongside N Shree Charani’s left-arm spin and Nandani Sharma, who took 3 for 25 with the new ball against Bangladesh.
Probable teams
Both squads are fully fit and both named their strongest sides in the semi-finals. India are expected to go with Mandhana, Shafali, Kamalini, Harmanpreet, Ghosh, Fulmali, Deepti, Shreyanka Patil, Kranti Gaud, Shree Charani and Nandani Sharma.
Sri Lanka’s likely XI reads Imesha Dulani, Athapaththu, Hasini Perera, Kavisha Dilhari, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Hansima Karunaratne, Kaushini Nuthyangana, Rashmika Sewwandi, Mithali Ayodhya, Chamudi Praboda and Sugandika Kumari.
If the weather gets in the way
There is no reserve day. If the final is washed out, the gold goes to the higher-seeded team, which is India. That is not a hypothetical worry at these Games: the men’s final at the last edition in 2023 was rained off and decided exactly that way.
A win would also be India’s first gold of the Aichi-Nagoya Games. Four silvers and two bronzes came out of the opening two days, and none of them were the colour India wanted.