Sri Lanka, led by skipper Chamari Athapaththu, were up against Indonesia, led by skipper Ni Putu Ayu Nanda Sakarini, in the 6th match of the ongoing 6th edition of the ACC Women’s T20 Asia Cup 2026, on 2nd September 2026 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Pakistan defeated Thailand by 35 runs in the 5th game of the tournament to kickstart their campaign on a high on 1st September 2026. Sri Lanka made one change as Kawya Kavindi replaced Mithali Ayodhya in the starting 11. Indonesia retained the same side that took the field in their previous clash.
Ni Kadek Ariani got Indonesia off to an ideal start by dismissing the Sri Lankan opener Imesha Dulani in the 2nd over of the innings after skipper Ni Putu Ayu Nanda Sakarini won the toss and opted to bowl first. Sanjana Kavindi joined skipper Chamari Athapaththu at the crease, and the duo stitched a much-needed 22-run stand for the 2nd wicket to lead some sort of recovery.
Sang Maypriani cleaned up Sanjana Kavindi (15 off 15 balls) to provide the crucial 2nd breakthrough for Indonesia in the final over of the powerplay. However, it was Ni Luh Dewi who landed a hammer blow by dismissing the opposition skipper Chamari Athapaththu (9 off 13 balls) in the 7th over of the innings to provide the massive 3rd breakthrough for her side.
The Sri Lankan middle-order collapsed like a pack of nine pins; as a result, they were reduced to 62/6 in the 13th over of the innings. Kawya Kavindi joined Nilakshika Silva at the crease, and the pair bailed their side out of trouble with a much-needed 50-run stand for the 7th wicket, which also took them closer to the 120-run mark.
Sri Lanka eventually posted a competitive total of 124/7 in their quota of 20 overs, with the experienced Nilakshika Silva being the lone warrior registering a fighting half-century 50 (35 balls) under pressure. Kawya Kavindi stayed unbeaten on 15* (19 balls) and Sugandika Kumari chipped in with 8 (8 balls) towards the backend, playing a supporting role. The innings had 7 extras.
Sang Maypriani (4-0-19-2), Ni Luh Dewi (4-0-32-3), Sofia Velic (4-0-21-1) and Ni Kadek Ariani (4-0-23-1) were the top performers with the ball for Indonesia.
Chasing a tricky total of 125, the Indonesian openers Rahmawati Pangestuti (10 off 14 balls) and Maria Corazon (6 off 10 balls) gave their side a promising start with an 18-run opening stand. Skipper Chamari Athapaththu broke the stand by sending Rahmawati Pangestuti back to the pavilion in the 4th over of the run chase to provide the first breakthrough for her side.
It eventually ended up triggering a collapse, with the Sri Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu (3.3-0-5-7) having the Indonesian batting line-up on a string. She wrapped up their innings and the game in style by bagging a hat-trick as the Ni Putu Ayu Nanda Sakarini-led side just managed 49 runs, losing their last 9 wickets for just 31 runs, falling 75 runs short of the target with 9 balls to spare.
Ni Made Putri Suwandewi 12* (32 balls) was the only other batter to enter the double digits with the bat for Indonesia. Sugandika Kumari (3-1-3-1), Kavisha Dilhari (3-0-2-1), Chamodi Praboda (4-0-8-0) and Kawya Kavindi (2-0-14-1) played the supporting act, keeping things tight from one end for their skipper as she wreaked havoc.
The Sri Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu was deservedly named the Player of the Match for her match-defining destructive spell (3.3-0-5-7), giving away just 5 runs as Sri Lanka sealed back-to-back wins to kickstart their title defence.
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