India Women Beat Sri Lanka by 147 Runs to Win Asian Games 2026 Gold

By: Women Entrepreneurs Review Team | Tuesday, 22 September 2026

India’s women’s cricket team opened India’s gold-medal account at the Asian Games 2026 with a commanding 147-run victory over Sri Lanka in the final at Korogi Sports Park, Nisshin, Japan, on Tuesday. The win also saw India successfully defend the women’s cricket title they won at the Hangzhou Games in 2023.

Key Highlights:

• India retained the Asian Games women’s cricket gold
• Smriti Mandhana scored 79 to anchor India’s record total
• Deepti Sharma took 3/6 as Sri Lanka collapsed for 69

After winning the toss, India elected to bat and posted a record 216/3 in 20 overs, the highest women’s T20I total recorded at the Asian Games. Openers Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma provided an explosive start, adding 99 runs for the first wicket.

Shafali continued her strong run of form following her historic century in the semi-final against Bangladesh, scoring 48 off 29 balls. Mandhana then took charge, smashing 79 off 45 balls, including seven sixes and five fours. The innings marked her 37th T20I half-century and saw her become the first woman cricketer to reach 11,000 international runs.

Wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh provided a powerful finish after being promoted to No. 4. She remained unbeaten on 49 from just 22 deliveries, striking six fours and three sixes to take India beyond the 200-run mark.

Sri Lanka struggled from the outset in their chase. Shafali contributed with the ball by taking two wickets during the Powerplay, while Deepti Sharma and Shree Charani intensified the pressure through the middle overs. Deepti finished with outstanding figures of 3/6 from four overs, including a maiden, as Sri Lanka lost six wickets for 49 runs within 10 overs.

Sri Lanka were eventually bowled out for 69 in 15.4 overs, handing India their biggest-ever victory by runs in women’s T20I cricket. The margin surpassed their previous record of a 144-run win over Malaysia in 2018.

The triumph also extended India’s unbeaten run to nine matches across formats since their group-stage exit from the 2026 T20 World Cup. The team subsequently won the 2026 Asia Cup before completing an unbeaten campaign at the Asian Games.

India had entered the tournament with convincing victories over Japan and Bangladesh, while Sri Lanka reached the final after defeating Malaysia and Pakistan. Tuesday’s victory marked India’s second consecutive Asian Games gold in women’s cricket, making them only the second team after Pakistan to successfully defend the title.

The result took India’s medal tally at the 2026 Asian Games to seven, with the women’s cricket team delivering the country’s first gold medal of the Games. Sri Lanka claimed silver, while Pakistan secured bronze after defeating Bangladesh.