India women defeated Sri Lanka in the cricket event of the Asian Games 2026.
India earned their first gold medal in the Asian Games 2026 after the India women's team won the final of the cricket event on September 22, 2026, after defeating Sri Lanka. This is the second consecutive time Indian women won the gold in the cricket event, in 2023 in China as well.
India captain Harmanpreet Kaur won the toss and chose to bat first. Shafali Verma made 48 in 29 balls with 3 fours and 3 sixes; she also added 99 runs for the first wicket in 10 overs. Smriti Mandhana then made 79 runs in 45 balls with 5 fours and 7 sixes to her name.
While Harmanpreet only managed 19 runs in 17 balls, Richa Ghosh gave the right impetus to the Indian innings in the death, scoring 49* in 22 balls with 6 fours and 3 sixes as India women posted 216/3 in 20 overs.
Sri Lanka’s response depended on skipper Chamari Athapaththu’s innings, but she only managed 29 runs. Sri Lanka batters tried to keep up with the rising required net run rate and, in the end, were bundled out for 69 runs. For India, Deepti Sharma took 3/6, while Shafali Verma, Shreyanka Patil, and Shree Charani picked two wickets each.
Harmanpreet Kaur was ecstatic after India women secured the gold medal in the Asian Games.
“It’s a fantastic feeling. Before the tournament, we talked a lot about staying unbeaten, but more importantly, about playing to the high standards we set for ourselves. It’s so satisfying to see everyone approach every game with such a positive mindset. Every single player who got an opportunity stepped up and delivered solid performances. As a captain and as a collective, that's exactly what we were looking for; maintaining an unbeaten run while consistently putting in this quality of performance is what we expected of ourselves, and it’s great to see everyone execute that vision with confidence,” Harmanpreet Kaur stated after the game, as quoted by Cricbuzz.
She was praiseful of the Indian bowlers and their performances throughout the event, as India women defeated Japan and Bangladesh on their way to the final, where they dominated Sri Lanka.
“Our bowling unit deserves special credit because we put a tremendous amount of work into it. Young bowlers like Kranti [Gaud] and Nandini [Kashyap] took on massive responsibilities, and the way they responded, especially with their spell in the power play, was outstanding. That was something our bowling coach and the staff had been working very closely with them on. Beyond the youngsters, our spin attack remains our core strength; bowlers like Shreyanka [Patil] and Deepti [Sharma] are consistent match-winners and always among the leading wicket-takers. Overall, the balance between experience and fresh talent was spot on, and everyone delivered when it mattered,” Harmanpreet concluded.
The India women’s team are now both the Asia Cup champions and gold medal winners of the Asian Games 2026.