NISSHIN, Japan | September 22, 2026 —
India women win Asian Games 2026 gold in emphatic fashion after overpowering Sri Lanka by a massive 147 runs in the women’s cricket final, giving the Indian contingent its first gold medal of the Aichi-Nagoya Games.
India produced a near-perfect performance at Korogi Sports Park. Smriti Mandhana launched the attack with a sparkling 79, Shafali Verma added a rapid 48 and Richa Ghosh delivered an explosive unbeaten 49 as India piled up 216/3.
The bowlers then turned a difficult chase into an impossible one.
Sri Lanka collapsed for just 69 in 15.4 overs as Deepti Sharma led a ruthless Indian bowling attack. The victory also allowed India to successfully defend the women’s cricket gold medal it won at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou.
Mandhana and Shafali Blow Sri Lanka Away
India won the toss and chose to bat, and the decision immediately paid off.
Mandhana and Shafali attacked Sri Lanka from the start. The opening pair raced to a 99-run partnership and ensured India never allowed the final to settle into a cautious rhythm.
Shafali smashed 48 from 29 balls, hitting three fours and three sixes.
Mandhana went even harder.
The left-handed opener hammered 79 from only 45 deliveries, with five fours and seven sixes. Her innings pushed Sri Lanka onto the defensive and provided India with the platform for a huge total.
Mandhana also crossed a remarkable personal milestone during the innings, becoming the first batter in women’s international cricket to reach 11,000 runs.
She appeared capable of going even bigger before Sri Lanka finally removed her.
By then, however, India had already taken firm control of the gold-medal contest.
Richa Ghosh Turns Strong Total Into Mountain
Sri Lanka briefly slowed India after breaking the opening partnership.
Captain Harmanpreet Kaur made 19, but Richa Ghosh ensured the pressure returned immediately.
The wicketkeeper-batter launched a devastating late assault.
Richa smashed an unbeaten 49 from just 22 balls, striking six fours and three sixes. Her hitting transformed India’s total from imposing to enormous.
India eventually finished at 216/3 in 20 overs, leaving Sri Lanka needing 217 to win the Asian Games gold medal.
For a final, the target demanded an extraordinary chase.
Instead, India produced an extraordinary bowling performance.
Shafali Strikes Again — This Time With the Ball
Shafali had already damaged Sri Lanka with the bat. She then returned with her off-spin and struck twice.
She removed Imesha Dulani and Hasini Perera to put the chase under immediate pressure.
Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu attempted to fight back and scored 29, but the required run rate kept climbing.
Then Deepti Sharma delivered the decisive breakthrough.
She dismissed Athapaththu and ripped through the middle and lower order as Sri Lanka’s chase collapsed.
Deepti finished with outstanding figures of 3/6.
Shafali Verma, Shree Charani and Shreyanka Patil claimed two wickets each as India continued attacking rather than simply defending its huge total.
Sri Lanka eventually folded for 69 in 15.4 overs.
India had won by 147 runs.
India Defend the Asian Games Cricket Crown
The size of the victory told only part of the story.
India entered the final as the defending champion after winning women’s cricket gold at Hangzhou 2023. Sri Lanka stood between Harmanpreet Kaur’s team and a second successive title.
India responded by dominating both innings.
The batters scored 216.
The bowlers conceded only 69.
The result delivered India its first gold medal of the 2026 Asian Games and confirmed the women’s cricket team as back-to-back Asian Games champions.
Pakistan took the bronze medal after defeating Bangladesh by 31 runs in the third-place match.
Smriti Mandhana Adds Another Record to Historic Final
For Mandhana, the gold-medal final also became another landmark day in an already decorated international career.
Her 79-run assault did more than set up India’s victory. Crossing 11,000 international runs placed her alone at a major milestone in women’s cricket.
Yet India’s victory was far from a one-player show.
Shafali influenced the match with both bat and ball. Richa supplied the finishing power. Deepti destroyed Sri Lanka’s chase, while the rest of the bowling attack never allowed the opposition to recover.
That complete team performance turned a gold-medal final into a one-sided statement.
India arrived at Korogi Sports Park chasing gold.
A few hours later, Harmanpreet Kaur and her team walked away with it — and with their Asian Games cricket crown still firmly in Indian hands.
