Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur have also been among the runs, but beyond them and Shafali, things have not been rosy. File
| Photo Credit: R V Moorthy
Nine days after facing off for continental dominance in the Asia Cup final in faraway Dubai, India and Sri Lanka will once again meet in another title clash, this time at the Asian Games here on Tuesday (September 22, 2026).
The defending champion will look to extend its seven-match winning streak against Lanka in a repeat of the final from three years ago in Hangzhou, and will enter the contest at the Korogi Athletics Park in Nisshin as the strong favourite on both form and ranking.
Both teams are unbeaten in the competition. While India thrashed Bangladesh by 114 runs in the semifinal, Lanka had to fall back on captain Chamari Athapaththu’s 50-ball 83 to get over the line in a tricky chase against Pakistan in the other last-four clash.
India’s openers have been in excellent form, with Shafali Verma getting her maiden T20I century (100 n.o., 49b) against Bangladesh.
Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur have also been among the runs, but beyond them and Shafali, things have not been rosy.
G. Kamalini and Bharti Fulmali haven’t fired yet and will want to make it count when it matters the most.
Given a choice, the Women in Blue would look to bat first and get a big total to put Sri Lanka under pressure, just like they did in the Asia Cup earlier this month.
On the bowling front, India’s spin attack, led by Deepti Sharma and the impressive Shree Charani, is expected to be the key.
As the only one who was part of the side last time around, Deepti would be keen on getting another gold but Chamari’s return to form with the bat should make the Indians wary.
The weather has been overcast for a couple of days now, and while there is no forecast of rain yet, things can change overnight.
In case the final gets washed out, India would be declared winner as the higher-ranked team.
Match starts at 10.30 a.m. IST.
Published – September 21, 2026 09:04 pm IST
