India changed winning combination for Asia Cup final vs. Sri Lanka; Gunalan Kamalini replaces Pratika Rawal

Gunalan Kamalini replaces Pratika Rawal in the final (Agency Images) India captain Harmanpreet Kaur won the toss and elected to bat first against Sri Lanka in the 2026 Women’s Asia Cup final at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.India made their first change of the tournament, bringing Gunalan Kamalini into the playing eleven in place of Pratik Rawal. Kamalini will get her first opportunity in this year’s Asia Cup and will be playing only her second T20I for India.The change comes after India fielded an unchanged XI in their opening four matches.

India are aiming for a record eighth Asia Cup title

Both India and Sri Lanka remained unbeaten en route to the final, although India looked the more dominant side throughout the tournament. The Women in Blue put in strong performances across batting, bowling and fielding, with Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma leading the scoring charts for India.With the ball, Deepti Sharma and Shree Charani were among India’s best performers, taking 11 and 8 wickets respectively. India are chasing a record eighth Asia Cup title having previously won four editions in the ODI format and three in T20Is.

Sri Lanka relies on Athapaththa and Dilhari

Sri Lanka also reached the final unbeaten but were not as consistent with the bat. Captain Chamari Athapaththu managed just 63 runs from four innings and Sri Lanka will need their top order to counter India’s strong bowling attack.Kavisha Dilhari has emerged as another key player for the defending champions and is expected to contribute with both bat and ball in the title race.Indian Women Playing XI: Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Gunalan Kamalini, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Bharti Fulmali, Richa Ghosh (wk), Deepti Sharma, Prema Rawat, Shree Charani, Kranti Gaud, Nandani SharmaSri Lanka Women’s Playing XI: Chamari Athapaththu (c), Imesha Dulani, Vishmi Gunaratne, Hasini Perera, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Kavisha Dilhari, Nilakshika Silva, Kaushani Nuthyangana (wk), Sugandika Kumari, Chamudi Praboda, Mithali Ayoda