Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana once again showed why they are among the most successful opening pairs in women’s cricket as the Indian duo created history in the Women’s Asia Cup 2026 final against Sri Lanka in Dubai on Sunday.
The left-hand-right-hand combination put together a stunning 129-run opening partnership in 12.5 overs, giving India a flying start after Harmanpreet Kaur won the toss and elected to bat. Shafali and Mandhana both scored half-centuries as India posted 183/5 in the final. cThe partnership also helped the Indian duo achieve a major milestone in Women’s T20I cricket. The record-breaking partnership in Dubai was significant beyond the 100-run milestone. Shafali and Mandhana’s 129-run stand became the highest partnership for any wicket in a Women’s T20I tournament final involving five or more teams. They surpassed the previous record of 122 runs, held by West Indies’ Hayley Matthews and Stefanie Taylor, who had achieved the feat against Australia in the 2016 Women’s T20 World Cup final in Kolkata.
The Indian pair also registered the highest partnership in a Women’s Asia Cup match, going past the previous record of 128 runs set by Jemimah Rodrigues and Deepti Sharma against Sri Lanka in the 2022 edition.
Their 129-run stand laid the foundation for India’s imposing total of 183/5, with the Indian team eventually going on to defeat Sri Lanka by 72 runs and lift the Women’s Asia Cup trophy for a record-extending eighth time.
