Women’s Asia Cup 2026, IND-W vs SL-W: India eye redemption as Sri Lan…

Third consecutive Women’s Asia Cup final between India and Sri Lanka as the stage is set at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on September 13. In 2022, India registered an eight-wicket win in Sylhet, while in 2024, Sri Lanka stunned the Women in Blue with an eight-wicket win in Dambulla – their only win so far against India in five T20Is in the history of the Asia Cup.

Now, heading into this edition’s final, both teams have remained unbeaten. However, Sri Lanka seem to have better momentum and confidence after being tested in pressure situations while chasing against Bangladesh and Pakistan respectively. On both occasions, they came out of it with flying colours and are now all set to defend the title against India. h-doctor.club

Both teams have quality spinners, which will be crucial on a typical slowish, sluggish Dubai track. But the decisive factor could turn out to be the form of the middle-order batters for both teams. India’s middle order has struggled badly, with both the openers – Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana – mainly leading the charge.

For Sri Lanka, however, their middle-order batters have been fantastic when it comes to playing quality spinners in the middle overs. The maturity and calmness they have shown so far, along with solid running between the wickets, have been fascinating to watch. It has also shown that, more than India, the defending champions have looked like a better team, playing as a unit.

Battle to watch out for: Smriti Mandhana vs Sri Lanka spinners

Smriti Mandhana has scored the second-most runs so far in this edition, scoring 154 runs in four innings, including a record-breaking century against Hong Kong, China. Hence, dismissing her as quickly as possible would be the primary objective for the defending champions.

For that, Sri Lanka’s spinners could be the best possible options, be it Chamari Athapaththu’s off-spin or the 17-year-old left-arm orthodox spinner Chamudi Praboda. Especially in the powerplay, Mandhana has been trying to take on the spinners, only to end up losing her wicket.

The same thing happened in the semi-final against Bangladesh as she went for an aerial shot, managed a top edge against Sultana Khatun and was dismissed for just two runs. The same kind of ploy could be plotted by Athapaththu and Co.

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Srishti Bhattacharya, New Delhi

India and Afghanistan will begin their three-match T20I series at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Sunday. Shreyas Iyer will lead India, with Tilak Varma as his deputy, while Ibrahim Zadran will captain Afghanistan. India have won all eight completed men’s T20Is between the two sides and will look to continue that dominant record.

Earlier this year, Afghanistan toured India for a full series, with India dominating the contest. India won the one-off Test by an innings and 300 runs in New Chandigarh before completing a 3-0 clean sweep in the ODIs. Afghanistan, however, now have a strong mix of experience and attacking players, with Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Sediqullah Atal, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan expected to play important roles.

India also have plenty of firepower, with Abhishek Sharma and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi capable of providing an aggressive start, while Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, Tilak Varma and Shivam Dube add depth to the batting. Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh and Varun Chakravarthy will lead the bowling attack.

Time and venue details

September 13, 7:00 PM IST. Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi.

Expected conditions

Temperatures are expected to be around 33°C, with a chance of rain. The pitch is expected to favour batting, while dew could make an impact later on in the day. The average first-innings score at the venue is around 200.

Possible XIs

India: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma (vc), Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh.

Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran (c), Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveen-ul-Haq.

Match-ups

Abhishek Sharma vs Fazalhaq Farooqi

Abhishek Sharma would be keen to make an impact from the start, while Fazalhaq Farooqi could trouble him with his swing and a different angle.

Ishan Kishan vs Rashid Khan

Ishan Kishan would look to take on Rashid Khan in the middle overs, but the Afghanistan spinner remains one of his side’s biggest wicket-taking threats.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz vs Arshdeep Singh

Rahmanullah Gurbaz would aim to make the most of the powerplay. On the other hand, Arshdeep Singh will be keen to keep the Afghanistan opener quiet early on in the innings.

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India batter Devdutt Padikkal sees his appointment as India A captain as more than just another leadership role. The Karnataka-based cricketer believes the responsibility will help him continue developing his game as he prepares for the next phase of his career.

Padikkal will lead India A in two red-ball matches against Australia A in Puducherry from September 22. He brings previous captaincy experience with Karnataka, having taken charge during last season’s Ranji Trophy. “It was a great learning curve for me, so I’m really looking forward to carrying that experience to India A as well,” he said while speaking to Select media.
He also believes that leading a side can have a positive impact on his batting by keeping him focused on helping the team win.

“Personally, I enjoy captaincy. That’s just an added responsibility to go out there and make sure that I’m helping the side. I’ve always played cricket that way. I’ve always wanted to make sure that the team wins. As a captain, that’s your sole focus. You want to make the team win. That just helps my batting even further,” he said.

The 26-year-old has enjoyed a productive run in recent months. He returned from India’s tour of Sri Lanka with two centuries and the Player of the Series award before scoring 62 for South Zone in the Duleep Trophy final against East Zone.

Padikkal also feels his batting has developed technically over the past season after facing quality opposition in different conditions. His next challenge will be adapting to New Zealand, where he expects the conditions to offer a different test.

“It’s a constant learning curve. There are a lot of things that I’ve learnt throughout the season,” he said. “I think more technically than mentally. There were a few changes that I needed to make to evolve as a batter over the last season or so. We’re playing in different conditions. Obviously, Sri Lanka and Chennai were quite similar. But moving forward, going to New Zealand as well, it’ll be interesting to see how I can adapt to different conditions.”

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India captain Harmanpreet Kaur has urged her team to keep things simple and trust their strengths when they face Sri Lanka in the Women’s Asia Cup final on Sunday, with the defending champions seeking to avenge their defeat in the previous edition.

India and Sri Lanka have emerged as the two standout sides in the tournament, setting up another high-stakes contest in Dubai. Harmanpreet, however, does not see the final as a battle between a stronger and weaker team.

Harmanpreet Kaur Wants India To Stay Simple

Harmanpreet believes the key to winning a tournament final is sticking to what the team does best rather than attempting anything extraordinary.

“Whenever you are playing a match which is so important to win the tournament, that day it is all about just playing on your strength and backing your strength,” she said at the pre-final press conference.

“Rather than trying too many things and thinking of doing something extraordinary, it is all about sticking to your strength, backing yourself and trusting your gut feeling.”

Sri Lanka defeated India in the 2024 final after chasing down India’s 165-run total with eight wickets in hand. Harmanpreet said India are not dwelling on that result but are aware of the challenge posed by the Sri Lankan side.

“Last time when we played against Sri Lanka, they came up with some really solid plans and solid performances. T20 is all about on a given day who is going to play the best cricket, they are going to win,” she said.

“There is no doubt about any team being stronger or any team being lesser than anyone. It is all about playing good cricket on an important day.”

India Batters Need Time In Dubai

Harmanpreet has been encouraged by the way different players have stepped up at various stages of the Women’s Asia Cup.

“Everyone in the team is very important and their contribution means a lot to us. It is good to see that whoever is getting the opportunity, they are coming up with some really solid performances,” she said.

India’s batting unit has produced runs in difficult situations, while the bowlers have consistently delivered strong performances.

The captain acknowledged that batting on the Dubai surface has not been easy and said India’s batters will need to spend time at the crease before looking to attack.

“This pitch is a little tough to bat on, but at the same time we just need to back ourselves, back our strength. We know we have such a good batting lineup,” she said.

“Whoever is doing well on that day should take the responsibility and finish the game for the team.”

Harmanpreet Kaur Praises Sri Lanka Bowling

Harmanpreet also praised Sri Lanka’s bowling attack for its ability to execute plans effectively on the Dubai surface.

She stressed the importance of patience for India’s batters, particularly in the early stages of their innings.

“You have to really spend some time and then you can go for your shot. Whoever is settled, that person needs to take the responsibility and play till the end,” she said.

India will also have to contend with Sri Lankan opener Chamari Athapaththu, one of the most dangerous batters in women’s cricket.

“We definitely want to take her wicket as soon as possible because we know how dangerous she is when she is batting. We want to come up with some solid plans against her, not only against her, but all the batters,” Harmanpreet said.

India Captain Plays Down Toss Pressure

The Indian captain refused to attach too much importance to the toss, saying it remains outside a captain’s control.

“I don’t put any pressure on myself because toss is something which I feel is not in my control. We have been playing here for almost two weeks. We know the conditions, the pitch, and I think it is all about trusting your plans, trusting your gut feeling and backing them,” she said.

Harmanpreet also emphasised the need for composure, warning that trying too hard to produce something special could lead to unnecessary mistakes.

“We have seen whenever we are trying to do something special or something extraordinary, we have always made so many mistakes,” she said.

“Tomorrow’s match is all about trusting yourself and trying to make fewer mistakes on the field. The team which makes fewer mistakes in an important game has more chances to win.”

Indian Fans Could Lift Team

Harmanpreet is also hoping for strong support from Indian fans in the Women’s Asia Cup final.

“They have been our biggest strength whenever we are playing. They come and cheer for us. They play a big part in our lives,” she said.

“When the stadium is packed, you feel more positive and you want to do more for your team. They mean a lot to us and hopefully they will come and cheer for the teams tomorrow.”

India will therefore enter the final with a clear message from their captain: trust their plans, play to their strengths and minimise mistakes as they seek to reclaim the Women’s Asia Cup title from Sri Lanka.