Sri Lanka launched their bid to retain the Women’s Asia Cup in emphatic fashion, sweeping aside the United Arab Emirates by nine wickets in Dubai on Saturday night in a contest that lasted barely 28 overs.
The defending champions produced a clinical all-round performance, dismissing UAE for just 79 before racing to the target in only 7.5 overs. Sri Lanka finished on 80 for one, leaving themselves with a remarkable 73 balls to spare.
Dream debut for Vimukthi
The standout performer was debutant Chethana Vimukthi, who delivered a superb four-over spell to claim three wickets for just 16 runs.
Vimukthi troubled the UAE batters throughout her spell with subtle movement away from the bat and disciplined bowling. Her breakthrough came when she produced a delivery that held its line and crashed into the stumps of Lavanya Keny, who struggled to 3 from 11 deliveries.
Her impressive debut earned her the Player of the Match award and immediately marked her as a player to watch during Sri Lanka’s title defence.
Vimukthi was not alone in dominating the UAE batting line-up. Mithali Ayodhya struck with the very first ball of her spell, removing Theertha Satish, and later returned to finish the innings strongly. She ended with excellent figures of three wickets for 14 runs.
Sugandika Kumari also made a significant contribution with two wickets for 18 runs, while captain Chamari Athapaththu chipped in with a wicket during her three overs. Kavisha Dilhari claimed the remaining wicket.
UAE never found momentum
The UAE innings never gathered any real momentum as Sri Lanka maintained pressure from the opening over.
Captain Esha Oza was their leading scorer with 18 off 24 balls, while Samaira Dharnidharka contributed 17 from 25. Rinitha Rajith provided a brief spark with 15 off 16 balls.
However, with six UAE batters failing to reach double figures, the hosts were unable to build a competitive total. Their innings ended at 79 in 19.5 overs.
Athapaththu turns chase into a procession
Sri Lanka’s response was even more ruthless.
Athapaththu produced a blistering unbeaten 48 from just 25 deliveries, smashing seven fours and two sixes as she dismantled the UAE bowling attack.
She received excellent support from Imesha Dulani, who struck 25 from 18 balls. The pair added 57 from only 35 deliveries, effectively ending any hopes of a UAE comeback.
Dulani was eventually run out by Oza, but there was little drama left in the contest. Sanjana Kavindi joined Athapaththu and struck five from four balls to complete the victory.
Sri Lanka reached 80 for one after just 47 balls.
A warning to the rest
The emphatic victory gives Sri Lanka an ideal start to their title defence, earning two valuable points while also giving their net run rate a major boost.
Sri Lanka are grouped with Bangladesh, UAE and Indonesia, with the top two teams advancing to the semi-finals.
If their opening performance is any indication, Sri Lanka have immediately established themselves as one of the teams to beat.
India, meanwhile, are in the opposite group alongside Pakistan, Thailand and Hong Kong. That means a meeting between Sri Lanka and India cannot occur before the semi-final stage.
Sri Lanka defeated India in the previous Asia Cup final, making another potential showdown one of the most anticipated possibilities of the tournament.
For now, however, Sri Lanka can celebrate a near-perfect opening night — powered by a dream debut from Vimukthi and another explosive display from their captain, Athapaththu.
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