India Women Take Record 8th T20 Asia Cup Title

The India Women's Cricket Team reclaimed the T20 Asia Cup in Dubai on Sunday, defeating Sri Lanka by 72 runs to secure a record-extending eighth title.

A stand that decided the final

India's openers made the contest their own inside the first six overs. Shafali Verma struck 68 off 39 balls and Smriti Mandhana added 59 from the same number of deliveries, their century partnership setting a brutal tempo.

Sri Lanka's bowlers found no way through the early assault. A late burst from Gunalan Kamalini, who hit 15 off five balls, lifted India to 183 for 5 and left the defending champions needing their highest chase of the tournament.

A chase that never ignited

Sri Lanka's reply collapsed almost on arrival. Captain Chamari Athapaththu made 36, but no other batter passed 15 as the innings unravelled to 111 all out.

Spinners Charani and Deepti Sharma shared seven wickets, returning figures of 4 for 20 and 3 for 19. The win reversed the 2024 final in Dambulla, where Sri Lanka had taken the crown by eight wickets.

A ceremony left incomplete

The presentation was delayed more than 45 minutes and no Indian player walked up to collect the trophy from Asian Cricket Council President Mohsin Naqvi. Sri Lanka's Athapaththu received the runners-up award before speaking about her team's performance.

Head coach Amol Muzumdar later addressed the decision. "That stand has been taken by the BCCI, and we stand by it," he told reporters. "The tournament is over. We are the champions, and that's good enough for us."

The eighth title extends a record no other side in the competition's history has approached, even as the trophy remained unclaimed on the podium.