INDW vs SLW Asia Cup Final Match Preview, Head to Heads, Playing 11, Pitch Report, and Live Streaming Details
The Asia Cup 2024 final between India Women and Sri Lanka Women is set to be an exhilarating contest. Both teams have shown exceptional performances in the tournament, making their way to the final with convincing victories in the semi-finals. India Women dominated Bangladesh Women, winning by 10 wickets in the first semi-final. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka Women edged out Pakistan Women in a thrilling encounter, winning by 3 wickets.
India and Sri Lanka at Women’s Asia Cup
The Women’s Asia Cup has been a stage for the consistent dominance of the Indian cricket team and the competitive spirit of the Sri Lankan team. India stands as the most successful team in the history of the tournament, having clinched 7 out of the 8 editions by 2022. The inaugural 2004 series saw India winning all five matches in the ODI format against Sri Lanka. This marked the beginning of a streak, with India continuing to claim the title in 2005-06, defeating Sri Lanka by 97 runs in the final, and again in 2006, securing victory by eight wickets.
India’s winning momentum extended into the 2008 edition, where they triumphed over Sri Lanka with a massive 177-run lead. The format shifted to T20I in 2012, but India’s supremacy remained unchallenged as they defeated Pakistan by 19 runs in the final. In 2016, India once again outperformed Pakistan, winning the final by 17 runs. Although India faced a setback in 2018, finishing as runners-up to Bangladesh, they bounced back in 2022, defeating Sri Lanka by 8 wickets to secure their seventh title.
On the other hand, Sri Lanka has shown commendable consistency, frequently reaching the finals. Despite not securing a title, they have been runners-up five times – in 2004, 2005-06, 2006, 2008, and 2022. The inaugural series in 2004 saw Sri Lanka losing all five matches to India. In the subsequent editions, they continued to fall short against India in the finals, with notable losses by 97 runs in 2005-06, by eight wickets in 2006, and by 177 runs in 2008. In the most recent 2022 edition, Sri Lanka once again faced India in the final but was defeated by 8 wickets.
India’s dominance is reflected in their seven championships and an impressive 91% win rate. Sri Lanka, while consistently reaching the finals and securing two third-place finishes, holds a 45% win rate
INDW vs SLW Asia Cup Final, Match Details
The match will take place at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium in Dambulla on July 28, starting at 7:00 PM local time, which is 7:00 PM IST
INDW vs SLW Head to Head
India Women have historically dominated their encounters with Sri Lanka Women in T20 Internationals. The two teams have faced each other 24 times in this format, with India Women securing 19 wins, while Sri Lanka Women have managed to win only 4 matches.
In their most recent encounter on September 25, 2023, India Women won by 19 runs in Hangzhou, marking yet another victory in their dominant streak. Before this, India clinched an 8-wicket win in Sylhet on October 15, 2022. The same venue also saw India secure a 41-run victory on October 1, 2022.
Earlier in 2022, Sri Lanka Women managed to break India’s winning run by winning a match by 7 wickets in Dambulla on June 27. However, India quickly regained their footing, winning the next two matches in Dambulla by 5 wickets on June 25 and by 34 runs on June 23, respectively.
The trend of Indian dominance extends back several years. For instance, on February 29, 2020, India triumphed by 7 wickets in Melbourne. Similarly, in 2018, India won three consecutive matches against Sri Lanka in Colombo and Katunayake. The only interruption to their success in recent years was a match in Colombo on September 21, 2018, which ended without a result.
This dominance is also evident when looking at slightly older matches. Between 2016 and 2018, India Women consistently outperformed Sri Lanka, winning all their encounters in locations ranging from Kuala Lumpur to Bangkok to Ranchi. One of Sri Lanka’s few victories during this period came on March 24, 2014, in Sylhet, where they won by 22 runs.
INDW vs SLW Asia Cup Final, Squad News
India Women
India has shown remarkable consistency throughout the tournament, with strong performances from both their batters and bowlers. However, slight adjustments could optimize their lineup for the final. Arundhati Reddy could be brought in to strengthen the bowling attack, potentially replacing Uma Chetry. This change adds depth to the bowling lineup and provides more options in the middle overs. Maintaining the aggressive opening pair of Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana is crucial, as they have consistently provided strong starts. Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues should continue to anchor the middle order, with Richa Ghosh and Deepti Sharma adding stability and finishing power.
Sri Lanka Women
Sri Lanka has demonstrated resilience and fighting spirit, particularly in their semi-final victory over Pakistan. A few tactical changes could enhance their lineup for the final. Ama Kanchana could be included to provide additional batting depth and an extra bowling option, potentially replacing Inoshi Priyadharshani. Chamari Athapaththu should continue to lead from the front with her aggressive batting, supported by the reliable Harshitha Samarawickrama and Anushka Sanjeewani in the middle order. The bowling attack led by Sugandika Kumari and Udeshika Prabodhani needs to focus on maintaining tight lines and lengths, especially in the powerplay overs.
INDW vs SLW Asia Cup Final, Possible Playing 11
India Women: Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wk), Deepti Sharma, Pooja Vastrakar, Radha Yadav, Renuka Thakur Singh, Arundhati Reddy, Anjali Sarvani
Sri Lanka Women: Vishmi Gunaratne, Chamari Athapaththu (c), Harshitha Samarawickrama, Anushka Sanjeewani (wk), Hasini Perera, Kavisha Dilhari, Ama Kanchana, Nilakshi de Silva, Sugandika Kumari, Udeshika Prabodhani, Inoka Ranaweera
INDW vs SLW Asia Cup Final, Weather and Pitch Report
Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium in Dambulla features a batting-friendly pitch that also provides significant assistance to spinners, especially in rainy weather. In the last five T20I matches at this venue, the average score has been 129. A total of 41 wickets have been taken, with 14 by pacers and 27 by spinners. Over the past five years, teams winning the toss have opted to bat first 75% of the time, although teams batting first have won only 41.67% of the matches.
Given the pitch conditions and historical statistics, the team winning the toss might prefer to bat first to set a competitive total before any weather-related changes affect the pitch. Spinners are likely to play a significant role, especially in the middle overs, while pacers will be crucial in the early overs.
INDW vs SLW Asia Cup Final, LIVE Telecast and LIVE Streaming Details
Where to Watch the INDW vs SLW Asia Cup Final in India?
The Asia Cup Women’s final between Sri Lanka and India can be watched on Disney+ Hotstar for streaming or on the Star Sports Network for television coverage.
