Nine days after beating Sri Lanka by 72 runs in the Women's Asia Cup final in Dubai, India met the same opponents for another continental title — and doubled the margin. The final in Nisshin was decided inside the first half of India's innings and formally settled a little over an hour after Sri Lanka began their chase.
It also did something the rest of India's Asian Games contingent had not managed in the first three days: it put a gold medal on the board. Here is the scorecard, how the innings was built, what the record books say, and how India's route to the podium compared with 2023.
The Result at a Glance
| Detail | Result |
|---|---|
| Match | Asian Games 2026, women's cricket — gold medal match |
| Date & venue | September 22, 2026 — Korogi Sports Park, Nisshin, Aichi |
| Toss | India won and chose to bat |
| India | 216 for 3 in 20 overs |
| Sri Lanka | 69 all out in 15.4 overs |
| Margin | India won by 147 runs |
| Top scorers | Smriti Mandhana 79 (45), Richa Ghosh 49* (22), Shafali Verma 48 (29) |
| Best bowling | Deepti Sharma 3/6 |
| Medals | Gold India · Silver Sri Lanka · Bronze Pakistan |
How India Got to 216
Harmanpreet Kaur won the toss and batted, which on a fresh surface in a one-off final is the cautious choice as much as the aggressive one: put runs on the board and make the opposition chase a number under pressure. What followed was not cautious at all.
Mandhana and Shafali put on 99 in 60 balls for the first wicket. India were 59 without loss at the end of the powerplay, which on its own is a good start rather than a decisive one. The difference was that they did not slow down once the field went back. Mandhana in particular went after Sri Lanka's spinners, clearing the rope seven times, mostly with the slog sweep that has become one of her main scoring shots in the last two seasons.
Shafali fell for 48 off 29, out attempting a reverse sweep. Harmanpreet promoted herself to No. 3 and made 19 off 17 before being caught at long-off. Mandhana, on 79 off 45 and in sight of a century, went the same way as Shafali — trying one more sweep.
That left Richa Ghosh to finish, and she hit 49 not out off 22 balls. It was the innings that turned a big score into a record one: India passed 200 in the final overs and closed on 216 for 3, the highest total in the history of the women's cricket event at the Asian Games.
Sri Lanka Bowled Out for 69
A target of 217 in a T20 final requires a team to go hard from the first ball and keep going. Sri Lanka started at the right speed — 18 runs from the first ten deliveries — and then lost Imesha Dulani for three to Shafali, who has been bowling useful overs of off-spin throughout this Indian season.
Sri Lanka lost only two wickets in the powerplay, but they were already behind the rate, and once the fielding restrictions ended the innings came apart. Captain Chamari Athapaththu top-scored with 29; nobody else offered sustained resistance. At the end of ten overs Sri Lanka were 52 for 6.
Deepti Sharma finished with 3 for 6, a return that barely registers as a spell in the usual sense. Shafali, N Shree Charani and Shreyanka Patil took two wickets each. Sri Lanka were all out for 69 in 15.4 overs.
The Records
| Record | Detail |
|---|---|
| Biggest India win (runs), women's T20Is | 147 runs — beating the previous best of 144 runs against Malaysia in 2018, as reported |
| Highest total, women's Asian Games cricket | 216/3 in the 2026 final |
| First women's Asian Games century | Shafali Verma, 100* off 49 vs Bangladesh, semi-final (Sept 20) |
| Back-to-back golds | India also won in Hangzhou 2023, beating Sri Lanka in that final |
Some reports gave the margin as 148 runs; the official scorecard and ESPNcricinfo record it as 147.
India's Road to Gold
As one of the higher-ranked sides, India went straight into the quarter-finals. Across three knockout matches they were never seriously tested.
| Round | Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarter-final | Sept 18 | Japan | Japan 57 (19.5 ov); India 59/2 (5 ov) — won by 8 wickets, 90 balls to spare |
| Semi-final | Sept 20 | Bangladesh | India 195/4; Bangladesh 81 (15.4 ov) — won by 114 runs |
| Final | Sept 22 | Sri Lanka | India 216/3; Sri Lanka 69 (15.4 ov) — won by 147 runs |
Against hosts Japan, Shree Charani took 4 for 10 and Shafali finished the chase with 40 not out off 15 balls. Against Bangladesh, Shafali made history: 100 not out off 49 balls, with nine sixes, the first century by a woman at the Asian Games and the joint-fastest by an Indian in women's T20Is, alongside Harmanpreet. Mandhana's 37 off 19 had set that innings up.
Across the three matches, India's opponents managed 57, 81 and 69. That is 207 runs for 30 wickets — fewer in total than India scored in the final alone.
Bronze for Pakistan
Earlier on the same day, Pakistan beat Bangladesh by 31 runs in the third-place playoff. Captain Fatima Sana made 45 off 30 as Pakistan recovered from 67 for 5 to post 145 for 8, and Umm-e-Hani took 3 for 10 as Bangladesh finished on 114 for 7. It is Pakistan's first Asian Games women's cricket medal in 12 years and reverses the bronze-medal result from Hangzhou 2023, when Bangladesh beat them.
The medal matches meant there was no India–Pakistan meeting in the women's event. Pakistan lost their semi-final to Sri Lanka; India's side of the draw went through Bangladesh.
What It Means for India's Medal Tally
The cricket gold was India's first gold medal of the Aichi-Nagoya Games. After day three, India's tally stood at 10 medals — one gold, four silver and five bronze — and the country moved up to eighth in the overall table from 12th after day two, according to Olympics.com's running tally. For the earlier medals, including the shooting podiums, see our day-two medal tally report.
On day four (September 23), attention moves to Manu Bhaker in the women's 10m air pistol and Mirabai Chanu in the women's 49kg weightlifting, while the men's badminton team, already assured of at least bronze after beating Japan 3-0, turns to its semi-final.
Two Titles in Nine Days
For this squad, the Asian Games gold completes a September double. The Women's Asia Cup in Dubai ended on September 13 with India beating Sri Lanka by 72 runs — a match remembered as much for the trophy ceremony India did not attend as for the cricket; our Asia Cup final report covers both. Nine days later, against the same finalists, the margin was more than twice as large and the medal ceremony went ahead as normal.
The pattern across both tournaments is consistent. Mandhana and Shafali have given India big starts in almost every match, Richa Ghosh has become a reliable finisher, and a spin group of Deepti, Charani and Shreyanka has repeatedly dismissed opponents for totals under 120. Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are the two Asian teams that have beaten India in recent finals. In September 2026 neither got close.
Compiled from match reporting by ESPNcricinfo, Olympics.com, The Sunday Guardian, ANI and Gulf News, up to September 23, 2026. Scores are taken from the official scorecards; where outlets differed on the winning margin, we have used the scorecard figure of 147 runs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the women's cricket gold at the Asian Games 2026?
India, beating Sri Lanka by 147 runs in the final at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin, Japan, on September 22, 2026. Sri Lanka took silver and Pakistan bronze.
What was the score in the Asian Games 2026 women's cricket final?
India made 216 for 3 in 20 overs (Smriti Mandhana 79 off 45, Richa Ghosh 49* off 22, Shafali Verma 48 off 29). Sri Lanka were bowled out for 69 in 15.4 overs, with Chamari Athapaththu top-scoring on 29 and Deepti Sharma taking 3 for 6.
Is this India's first Asian Games gold in women's cricket?
No. India also won gold at the Hangzhou 2023 Asian Games, beating Sri Lanka in that final too. The 2026 win makes it back-to-back titles.
Who scored the first century in women's Asian Games cricket?
Shafali Verma, with 100 not out off 49 balls against Bangladesh in the semi-final on September 20, 2026. Her nine sixes were the most by an Indian batter in a women's T20I innings.
Who won the bronze medal in women's cricket at the Asian Games 2026?
Pakistan, who beat Bangladesh by 31 runs in the third-place playoff on September 22. Fatima Sana made 45 and Umm-e-Hani took 3 for 10.
How many medals has India won at the Asian Games 2026?
After day three (September 22), India had 10 medals — one gold, four silver and five bronze — and were eighth in the medal table. The women's cricket gold was India's first gold of the Games.