Same venue, same drama. The Harmanpreet Kaur-led Indian women’s cricket team clinched a record-extending eighth Women’s Asia Cup title in Dubai on Sunday, defeating Sri Lanka by 72 runs. What followed was another Asia Cup trophy presentation controversy involving the Indian cricket team and Asian Cricket Council chief Mohsin Naqvi, who is also Pakistan’s Interior Minister. The final ended at 11:25 PM IST, while the post-match presentation ceremony did not begin until 12:05 AM IST (Monday).
Former Sri Lanka player Farveez Maharoof started the delayed presentation ceremony by calling out the match officials and the runner-up Sri Lanka team. Just when everybody thought it was India’s turn to arrive on the stage, he stated that the post-match presentation ceremony was over.
It brought back memories of the 2025 Men’s Asia Cup final (September 28), coincidentally at the same venue, Dubai International Stadium, when India beat Pakistan in the final but the post-match presentation was delayed. The point of contention was the presence of Mohsin Naqvi. A similar controversy appeared to unfold this time as well.
The Indian players were in a huddle. BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla and secretary Devajit Saikia were present too.
Earlier, Shafali Verma and vice-captain Smriti Mandhana struck forceful fifties, while the bowlers, led by Sree Charani, produced an equally impressive effort as India crushed Sri Lanka by 72 runs to clinch a record-extending eighth Women’s Asia Cup title on Sunday.
Openers Shafali (68) and Mandhana (59) produced a symphony of power and grace during their 129-run stand in just 12.5 overs, guiding India to 183/5 in 20 overs.
The Sri Lankans managed to rein in the opposition’s middle order in the latter stages of the innings, but they were no match for the guile of the Indian bowlers, led ably by left-arm spinner Charani (4/20), and were bowled out for 111 in 20 overs.
Their main, in fact their only, hope was skipper Chamari Athapaththu (36 off 32 balls), who added 58 runs for the second wicket with Vishmi Gunaratne.
But seasoned off-spinner Deepti Sharma dealt a body blow to Sri Lanka’s aspirations, dismissing both batters in the 10th over.
Athapaththu tried to charge Deepti but was beaten in flight, and wicketkeeper Richa Ghosh did the rest.
Three balls later, Gunaratne attempted a sweep but was bowled around her legs.
At 63/3 after 10 overs, with the required run rate soaring above 12, the match was as good as over for the defending champions, despite India dropping five catches.
Earlier, after electing to bat, Mandhana, who scored her 36th T20I fifty, and Shafali, whose 24-ball fifty was the fastest in Women’s Asia Cup history, shut the Sri Lankans out of the contest.
In fact, Shafali eclipsed the 25-ball fifty Mandhana made in the tournament’s 2022 edition.
The 22-year-old made her intentions clear from the outset, pulling and driving with authority.
Shafali targeted Athapaththu in her very first over, smashing her for 6, 6 and 4 as India raced to 57 in the Powerplay and reached 98/0 at the halfway mark.
Initially, Mandhana focused on supporting Shafali, reaching 23 off 22 balls. However, once her younger partner reached fifty, the left-hander shifted gears with ease.
She swept Nilakshi Silva for a six and then launched Chamudi Praboda over long-on for another maximum.
Her signature shot, however, was an inside-out cover drive off Athapaththu for a boundary as Mandhana brought up her fifty in 35 balls.
However, the flourishing stand was broken when Shafali hit Praboda straight to Athapaththu at the edge of the circle.
As often happens, another wicket followed soon after. Mandhana was caught in a yes-no situation with skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and eventually sacrificed her wicket via a run-out.
It was the third time Mandhana had fallen victim to a run-out in this tournament.
India were 140/2 after 15 overs and needed a few more runs to complete their dominance over the Sri Lankans, who looked far more energetic after those two wickets.
However, India could manage only 43 runs in the last five overs as big-hitting Richa Ghosh (17 off 13 balls) was dismissed just as she began to accelerate.
The Sri Lankan bowlers, particularly slingy pacer Mithali Ayodhya, also deserve credit for finding better lines in the latter stages of the Indian innings.
Nevertheless, India still came close to the 200-run mark, courtesy of the opening stand between Mandhana and Shafali and a 15* off five balls from Gunalan Kamalini.
With PTI inputs
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