Dubai: India defeated defending champions Sri Lanka by 72 runs in the final to win a record eighth Women's Asia Cup title in Dubai on Sunday.
India scored 183 for five after winning the toss and choosing to bat first at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Sri Lanka were then bowled out for 111 in 20 overs as India's batters and bowlers produced a strong all round performance.
Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana gave India a commanding start with a 129 run opening partnership. Mandhana scored 59 from 39 balls before she was dismissed in the 13th over.
Shafali continued to attack the Sri Lankan bowlers and made 68 from 39 balls, with nine fours and two sixes. She reached her half century from 24 balls, the fastest fifty in Women's Asia Cup history.
The opening partnership gave India a strong platform, although the scoring rate slowed in the final stages of the innings. India finished on 183 for five, with G. Kamalini making an unbeaten 15 from five balls.
Sri Lanka made a promising start to their chase. Captain Chamari Athapaththu scored 36 from 32 balls, while Vishmi Gunaratne made 20. The pair helped Sri Lanka reach 62 for one before India's bowlers turned the match in their favour.
Deepti Sharma dismissed both Athapaththu and Gunaratne in the 10th over. Sri Lanka then lost wickets at regular intervals and struggled to maintain the required scoring rate.
Sree Charani led India's bowling attack with four wickets for 20 runs from her four overs. Deepti Sharma took three wickets for 19 runs.
Nilakshika Silva scored 22, but Sri Lanka could not recover from the collapse. Their final wicket fell from the last ball of the 20th over, leaving India with a 72 run victory.
The victory gave India their eighth Women's Asia Cup title. Sri Lanka had defeated India in the 2024 final to win their first title and entered this tournament as defending champions.
The result also marked India's successful return to the top of the continental competition after losing the previous final to Sri Lanka.
The celebrations after the match were followed by controversy over the trophy presentation. The Indian team did not accept the Asia Cup trophy from Asian Cricket Council chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who is also chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board and Pakistan's interior minister.
The decision had been communicated to the Asian Cricket Council before the final, according to BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia. He said the Indian team would not participate in the trophy presentation if Naqvi presented the trophy.
India did not take part in the official trophy presentation, while the Sri Lankan team participated in the ceremony. The Indian team later held its own medal presentation.
Head coach Amol Muzumdar said the position had been taken by the BCCI and that the team stood behind the decision.
The incident comes amid strained cricket relations between India and Pakistan. A similar situation occurred after India's men's team won the Asia Cup in 2025, when the Indian team also did not accept the trophy from Naqvi.
There was no immediate update on when or how India would formally receive the 2026 Asia Cup trophy.
The trophy controversy did not affect the result on the field. India produced a dominant performance in the final to regain the Women's Asia Cup, while Sri Lanka finished as runners up after reaching the final for the second consecutive tournament.
India will now turn their attention to the 2026 Asian Games in Japan, where their women's cricket campaign is scheduled to begin on September 18.