The defending champions, Sri Lanka, led by skipper Chamari Athapaththu, were up against the hosts UAE, led by skipper Esha Oza, in the 2nd match of the ongoing 6th edition of the ACC Women’s T20 Asia Cup on 29th August 2026 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai.
The Naruemol Chaiwai-led Thailand kickstarted their campaign with a nervy 6-run win in a thriller against Hong Kong in the tournament opener of the ongoing edition of the tournament on 28th August 2026 at the same venue. Sri Lanka handed the young 24-year-old pacer Chethana Vimukthi her T20I debut.
The Sri Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu won the toss and opted to field first. The Sri Lankan new-ball bowlers Mithali Ayodhya and debutant Chethana Vimukthi delivered by reducing the home side to 9/2 in the 4th over of the innings. Heena Hotchandani joined skipper Esha Oza at the crease and the duo stitched a much-needed 19-run stand for the 3rd wicket.
Sugandika Kumari got the big scalp of the opposition skipper Esha Oza (18 off 24 balls) in the 8th over of the innings to provide the massive 3rd breakthrough for Sri Lanka. An 18-run stand for the 5th wicket between Rinitha Rajith (15 off 16 balls) and Samaira Dharnidharka (17 off 25 balls) took them past the 50-run mark.
Kavisha Dilhari broke the stand by sending Samaira Dharnidharka back to the pavilion in the 15th over of the innings to provide the crucial 5th breakthrough for the visitors. The Sri Lankan bowlers kept chipping away with wickets at regular intervals, and as a result, the home side were eventually bundled out for 79 with a ball to spare.
Heena Hotchandani (10 off 18 balls) was the only other batter to enter the double digits with the bat for the UAE. Mithali Ayodhya (3.5-0-14-3), debutant Chethana Vimukti (4-0-16-3), Sugandika Kumari (4-0-18-2), skipper Chamari Athapaththu (3-0-10-1) and Kavisha Dilhari (2-0-9-1) were the top performers with the ball for Sri Lanka.
Chasing a tiny total of 80, the Sri Lankan openers Imesha Dulani and skipper Chamari Athapaththu almost killed the run chase in the power play with a decisive 57-run opening stand, scoring at around 10 runs an over. An unfortunate run-out ended Imesha Dulani’s (25 off 18 balls) stay at the crease on the penultimate ball of the powerplay to provide the much-needed 1st breakthrough for the UAE.
Sanjana Kavindi (5* off 4 balls) joined skipper Chamari Athapaththu (48* off 25 balls) at the crease, and the pair took them over the line with an unbeaten 23-run stand for the 2nd wicket. Skipper Chamari Athapaththu was just two runs short of her half-century. Her knock included 7 boundaries and a couple of maximums. Sri Lanka won the game with 9 wickets in hand and 73 balls to spare. Indhuja Nandakumar (2-0-15-0) was impressive with the ball for the home side.
The debutant Chethana Vimukthi was awarded the Player of the Match for her decisive spell (4-0-16-3) with the ball for her side, playing a crucial role in setting up their record-biggest margin of victory (by balls remaining) in the T20I format.
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