Sri Lanka beats India by 8 wickets to lift maiden Women's Asia Cup title

Sri Lanka emerged victorious in the Women’s Asia Cup 2024, defeating India by eight wickets in a thrilling final at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium. Despite India’s dominance in the group stage and semi-final against Bangladesh, Sri Lanka proved to be a formidable opponent in the final match. The winning performance was driven by Chamari Athapaththu and Harshitha Samarawickrama, who ensured Sri Lanka’s triumph with their impressive batting.

India, batting first, posted a competitive total of 165 for six. Smriti Mandhana was the standout performer with a stellar knock of 60 off 47 balls, featuring 10 fours. Her opening partnership of 44 runs set a solid foundation for the Indian innings. However, Uma Chetry and Harmanpreet Kaur struggled to make an impact, but Jemimah Rodrigues and Richa Ghosh provided valuable contributions with scores of 29 and 30 respectively. Kavisha Dilhari was the pick of the bowlers for Sri Lanka, taking two wickets for 36 runs.

Sri Lanka’s run chase started poorly with Vishmi Gunaratne getting run out early. However, a crucial partnership of 87 runs between Chamari Athapaththu and Harshitha Samarawickrama stabilized the innings. Athapaththu's brilliant innings of 61 off 43 balls, including a half-century off 32 balls, was pivotal before she was bowled by Deepti Sharma. With 72 runs needed from the last eight overs, Samarawickrama’s unbeaten 69 and Dilhari’s quickfire 30 off 16 balls sealed the victory for Sri Lanka with eight balls to spare.

This win ended Sri Lanka’s four-match losing streak against India in the Women’s Asia Cup finals. The last time India did not win the title was in 2018 when they lost to Bangladesh in the final.