Women's T20 Asia Cup final: India favorites against Sri Lanka
What's the story
The final of the Women's T20 Asia Cup is set to be a thrilling encounter between India and Sri Lanka. Both teams have shown their prowess in the tournament, but India's all-round performance makes them the favorites for this title clash. The match will take place at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday at 8:00pm IST. Here are further details.
Details
Pitch report and other details
The Dubai International Cricket Stadium usually offers a good surface for batting, but spin has played a big role throughout this competition.
The pitch tends to slow down as the match wears on, making stroke-play trickier under lights and putting a premium on spinners in the middle overs.
As dew can also play a part, the toss-winning skipper is likely to bowl first.
Trophies
India Women aiming to claim a 7th Asia Cup crown
India Women have claimed seven Asia Cup trophies so far, besides being two-time runners-up.
India have won four tournaments in the ODI version and three in the 20-over format.
Meanwhile, SLW are aiming to claim their second Asia Cup title.
SLW, who have been five-time runners-up, are the defending champions of the competition.
Matchup
India's all-round performance makes them the favorites
India's spin attack, led by Deepti Sharma, has been the most effective in the tournament with 26 wickets.
Sri Lanka is a close second with 25 wickets.
However, India's batting order has been more consistent than Sri Lanka's on the slow Dubai pitches.
Smriti Mandhana (154 runs at a strike rate of 171.11) and Shafali Verma (168 runs at a strike rate of 169.70) have been key contributors to India's run-scoring efforts throughout this tournament.
Challenges
India's recent dominance over Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka's batting order has been shaky, with Chamari Athapaththu and Imesha Dulani scoring just 63 and 64 runs in four innings each.
India's bowling attack, including quick bowler Nandani Sharma, could prove more challenging for Sri Lanka than what they have faced so far.
India's recent record against Sri Lanka also makes them favorites; they won a five-match WT20I series at home in December 2025 and have won nine of their last 10 WT20Is against them, as per Cricinfo.
Historical context
Sri Lanka's only win in last 10 T20Is
Sri Lanka's only win against India in the last W10 T20Is came in the 2024 Asia Cup final in Dambulla.
They chased down 166 with eight wickets to spare to win the title.
Overall, India have 25 wins and just five defeats against the Lankans in this format.
Despite their batting struggles, Sri Lanka have an all-win record in the ongoing Asia Cup so far, same as India.
However, India's balance and form give them an edge going into this final match-up.
XIs
Here are the probable XIs
India (Probable XI): Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana, Pratika Rawal, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Bharti Fulmali, Richa Ghosh (wk), Deepti Sharma, Prema Rawat, Shree Charani, Kranti Gaud, Nandani Sharma.
Sri Lanka (Probable XI): Imesha Dulani, Chamari Athapaththu (c), Sanjana Kavindi, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Hasini Perera, Kavisha Dilhari, Nilakshika Silva, Kaushani Nuthyangana (wk), Sugandika Kumari, Chamudi Praboda, Mithali Ayodhya.
Poll
