Defending champions Sri Lanka made an emphatic start to their Women’s Asia Cup 2026 campaign, beating hosts the United Arab Emirates by nine wickets at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Saturday evening.
Sri Lanka dismissed the UAE for 79 in 19.5 overs before racing to 80-1 in just 7.5 overs, completing the chase with 73 balls remaining and giving themselves an immediate boost in Group B. Their victory with 73 balls remaining is the biggest Women’s T20I win in terms of balls remaining, while also providing an early net-run-rate advantage that could prove important later in the group stage
Chamari Athapaththu
Captain Chamari Athapaththu led from the front, contributing with both bat and ball. She took 1-10 from three oversbefore producing an unbeaten 48 from 25 balls, striking seven fours and two sixes at a strike rate of 192. She also became the first player to reach 500 runs in Women’s Asia Cup cricket.
Athapaththu attacked from the outset. One of the standout shots of the chase came against UAE captain Esha Oza, when she advanced down the pitch and lifted the ball over deep extra cover for six.
Imesha Dulani supported her with 25 from 18 balls, including five fours, as the opening pair added 57 and effectively took the contest away from the UAE inside the powerplay.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Athapaththu said the philosophy remained simple despite Sri Lanka entering the competition as defending champions.
“I just want to play my natural game, and the team always play positive cricket in the middle. That’s the most important thing,” she said.
Sri Lanka’s bowlers set up the victory
Athapaththu had earlier won the toss and elected to field, with Sri Lanka quickly taking advantage of the conditions.
Mithali Ayodhya claimed 3-14, while T20I debutant Chethana Vimukthi took 3-16 from four overs in an impressive first appearance and was named Player of the Match. Sugandika Kumari finished with 2-18, while Athapaththu and Kavisha Dilhari took one wicket each.
The UAE were in trouble early. Theertha Satish was bowled for a duck in the opening over, before Lavanya Keny fell for three to leave the hosts 8-2.
Captain Esha Oza top-scored with 18 from 24 balls, but the hosts were unable to establish the partnerships needed to recover. Samaira Dharnidharka made 17 and Rinitha Rajith contributed 15, but Sri Lanka continued to take wickets at regular intervals.
Athapaththu was particularly encouraged by the contribution of Sri Lanka’s newer bowlers as the defending champions continue to develop options beyond their established senior attack.
“We found some newcomers, and they did a really good job for Sri Lanka today,” she said. “Mithali, she’s a very special bowler, and Vimukthi, she’s so quick.”
The combination of pace and spin gave Sri Lanka control throughout the innings and offered an early indication of the bowling depth available to them as the tournament progresses.
Sri Lanka preparing to adapt as competition gets tougher
In the post-match press conference, Dubai Diaries asked Athapaththu how Sri Lanka’s tactics would need to evolve as the tournament progresses and they begin facing stronger opposition.
Her response centred on adaptability. Athapaththu said Sri Lanka could not approach every opponent or every surface in the same manner, with the team instead looking closely at conditions and selecting the balance of pace and spin best suited to each match. That flexibility could become increasingly important later in the competition.
Against the UAE, Sri Lanka were able to attack with the fresh ball before turning to spin to maintain pressure through the middle overs. Against stronger batting line-ups, the margins are likely to become much smaller.
Athapaththu’s message was that Sri Lanka intend to remain positive while being prepared to change their plans according to the opposition and conditions.
Oza: UAE must learn to adapt
For the hosts, the defeat provided some clear lessons. Captain Esha Oza acknowledged that the UAE’s inability to recover from the loss of two early wickets had been central to the result.
“We didn’t have enough runs on the board. Not the start that we wanted in the powerplay,” she said. “It’s a decent wicket to bat on, and if we don’t put a good score, we can’t give anything to our bowlers to defend.”
Oza felt a total in the region of 120 to 140 could have allowed the UAE to put Sri Lanka under greater pressure.
Asked by Dubai Diaries where the match had slipped away, Oza pointed to the early wickets and the failure to build partnerships, but also acknowledged that the UAE had not adapted well enough against Sri Lanka’s spinners.
She said the batters had been too quick to look for big shots rather than initially playing along the ground, collecting singles and rotating the strike before attempting to find the boundary.
It is an area the UAE captain believes needs improvement as her side works towards playing a more attacking and modern style of cricket.
Oza also acknowledged the challenge created by limited exposure to full-member opposition. Much of the UAE’s recent competitive cricket has come against associate teams, while Sri Lanka offered an immediate step up in quality as the reigning Asian champions.
The UAE now have five days before their next match and Oza said the break would give the squad an opportunity to reassess.
The hosts now turn their attention to Indonesia, with Oza clear that securing two points from that match is the immediate priority before the UAE face Bangladesh.
Sri Lanka’s first performance suggested the defending champions are already thinking about how they will adapt when it does.
UAE Women 79 all out (19.5 overs)
Esha Oza 18; Mithali Ayodhya 3-14, Chethana Vimukthi 3-16
Sri Lanka Women 80-1 (7.5 overs)
Chamari Athapaththu 48 not out, Imesha Dulani 25
Sri Lanka won by nine wickets with 73 balls remaining
