India retained the Asian Games women's cricket title by defeating Sri Lanka by 147 runs in the final on September 22, 2026. Harmanpreet Kaur chose to bat, and her side finished on 216 for three. Smriti Mandhana led the innings with 79 from 45 deliveries, while Shafali Verma and Richa Ghosh supplied the other major contributions.
Mandhana and Shafali put on 99 for the first wicket before Chamudi Praboda dismissed Shafali for 48. Ghosh later made 49 from 22 balls, helping carry the total beyond 200 after Harmanpreet's dismissal. The innings combined a substantial opening partnership with a rapid finish rather than relying on a single late acceleration.
Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu scored 29 from 21 deliveries, but Shafali removed Imesha Dulani and Hasini Perera inside the first five overs. Deepti dismissed Athapaththu in the seventh over and finished with three wickets. Shafali, Sree Charani and Shreyanka Patil took two apiece as Sri Lanka were bowled out inside sixteen overs. The ICC's final report also recorded Pakistan's 31-run win over Bangladesh in the bronze-medal match.
The women's competition used a straight knockout format, unlike the two-stage men's event described in the ICC's tournament guide. The 2026 Games in Japan marked cricket's fourth appearance at the Asian Games since its debut in 2010. India's victory delivered a second successive women's title, while Sri Lanka again finished with silver.
The men's competition was scheduled to follow the women's final, beginning with Japan against Afghanistan. Its ten-team field put six lower-seeded sides into two groups of three, with two teams from each group advancing. India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh received first-round byes into the quarter-finals. That separate schedule meant the women's gold concluded one competition while the men's title defence had yet to begin.
