India’s women cricketers have delivered the country’s first gold medal of the 2026 Asian Games, producing a dominant all-round performance to beat Sri Lanka by 147 runs in the T20 final at Nisshin, Japan, on Tuesday.
The victory also saw Harmanpreet Kaur’s side successfully defend the women’s cricket title won at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games.
India, after winning the toss, elected to bat and piled up a massive 216/3 in 20 overs—the highest total in the history of women’s cricket at the Asian Games.
Mandhana sets the tone
Smriti Mandhana led the charge with a spectacular 79 off 45 balls, combining aggressive strokeplay with remarkable consistency. She was well supported by Shafali Verma, who smashed 48 off 29 balls, as the opening pair put together a rapid 99-run partnership.
Mandhana’s innings also carried a personal milestone: she became the first woman cricketer to reach 11,000 international runs.
After Harmanpreet Kaur’s dismissal, Richa Ghosh turned up the power at the death. She remained unbeaten on 49 from just 22 deliveries, including six fours and three sixes, taking India beyond the 200-run mark and setting Sri Lanka a daunting target of 217.
𝗠𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 🏅🇮🇳#TeamIndia wear the prestigious #AsianGames 2026 Gold Medal 🤩 pic.twitter.com/GiDvdvNah5
— BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) September 22, 2026
Sri Lanka collapse under pressure
The chase never really got going.
Sri Lanka lost wickets regularly against India’s disciplined bowling attack. Captain Chamari Athapaththu top-scored with 29 off 21 balls, but received little support as the Indian spinners tightened the grip on the contest.
Deepti Sharma was the standout bowler, claiming 3 wickets for just 6 runs, while Shafali Verma and Shreyanka Patil picked up two wickets each. Sri Lanka were eventually bowled out for 69 in 15.4 overs, giving India a massive 147-run victory.
The result marks India’s second consecutive Asian Games women’s cricket gold and continues a remarkable run against Sri Lanka. The two sides had also met in the Women’s Asia Cup final earlier this month, where India secured the title with a 72-run victory.
Pakistan won the bronze medal, defeating Bangladesh in the third-place playoff.
India’s golden campaign in Aichi-Nagoya has therefore begun with a statement performance—batting firepower, ruthless bowling and a title successfully defended.
