Sri Lanka kickstart Asia Cup campaign with record win against UAE

With the ball, medium pacers Chethana Vimukthi and Mithali Ayodhya excelled as Sri Lanka opened their 2026 Asia Cup title defense with a commanding victory in Dubai against the United Arab Emirates.

With just one ball remaining in the innings, the pair, well supported by the rest of Sri Lanka's attack, combined to bowl UAE out for 79. In response, Sri Lanka cruised to a nine-wicket victory with 73 balls remaining thanks to Chamari Athapaththu's unbeaten 48 off 25 balls.

With conditions offering plenty for seamers, Sri Lanka captain Athapaththu opted to bowl, handing the new ball to 19-year-old slinger Ayodhya. She struck with the fourth ball of the innings, getting one to swerve late into opener Theertha Satish, who played on to her stumps and left for a two-ball duck. She made an immediate impact.

Vimukthi, making her T20I debut, then repeatedly found movement away, beating both UAE batters' outside edges. She continued to test them outside off in her second over, and when a cross-seam delivery from off held its line and beat Lavanya Keny for pace and movement as she played inside the line, she got her first T20I wicket. The ball crashed into the top of off stump, leaving Keny bowled for just 3 off 11.

UAE's first boundary came in the fifth over courtesy captain Esha Oza but it was their only respite in a difficult powerplay as they struggled to 22 for 2 from the first six overs.

After Sugandika Kumari, a left-arm spinner, was brought in, Sri Lanka continued to squeeze UAE through the middle overs. This only exacerbated their problems. Her second over brought a wicket, as she dismissed Oza for 18 off 24, tempting the UAE captain into a loose shot with a tossed-up delivery just outside off.

Chamudi Praboda nearly got Samaira Dharnidharka stumped with a flighted off-spin delivery that drifted in shortly after, and UAE would have lost another wicket. Dharnidharka was beaten while attempting to drive, but she just managed to ground her back foot before the wicketkeeper could whip off the bails.

Before Rinitha Rajith provided a brief spark, UAE's innings never really gained momentum as they lost their fourth wicket for just 38 runs. She struck two boundaries and looked intent on taking the attack on, while Dharnidharka also found the fence twice before falling to a slower ball from Kavisha Dilhari for 17 off 25.

Vimukthi and Ayodhya returned at the death to take two wickets each off their respective last overs to bowl UAE out for 79.

Imesha Dulani, the Sri Lankan opener, got the game started with a boundary, setting the tone for the chase and accelerating through the first three overs. Athapaththu too chipped in with big hits as the duo plundered more than half the runs required within five overs.

Athapaththu also hit the first six of the match, dancing down the track to launch Oza over mid-off. The shot also took her to 500 runs in the Women's Asia Cup, making her the first batter to reach the milestone.

Dulani, on the other hand, was run out in unfortunate circumstances when Athapaththu drove a full delivery straight back at the bowler. The bowler tried to field the ball, but it deflected off the stumps at the non-striker's end and caught Dulani short of her ground. But Athapaththu made sure that Sri Lanka didn't have any more problems by hitting two fours and a six in the next nine balls to help the team win.