Why is Pratika Rawal not playing IND-W vs SL-W Women’s Asia Cup 2026 final?
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Pratika Rawal’s exclusion came as a surprise for many.
The Indian Women’s Cricket Team are currently playing against Sri Lanka in the final of the Women’s Asia Cup 2026. India are the most successful nation in the Women’s Asia Cup, having won it a record seven times. However, in the last Asia Cup, Sri Lanka defeated India in the final to lift their maiden Women’s Asia Cup title in 2024.
This match will be a rematch of the 2024 final, and the Indian team would like to take their revenge. Throughout the tournament, both teams have played a brilliant brand of cricket. India won all of their matches convincingly and defeated Bangladesh in the semi-final to make it into the final, while Sri Lanka also won all of their matches and defeated Pakistan to reach the final.
At the toss during the final, Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur won the toss and elected to bat first. She confimed that her side has made one change to the team. Pratika Rawal has been benched, and Gunalan Kamalini is playing in the final.
This has come as a shock to the fans, as they thought the playing XI would remain the same for the final. On that note, let’s have a look at why Pratika Rawal is not playing the final of the Women’s Asia Cup 2026.
Why did Pratika Rawal miss IND-W vs SL-W Women’s Asia Cup 2026 final?
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Harmanpreet Kaur, during the toss, explained that Pratika Rawal has not been dropped from the team and has been rested, while Gunalan Kamalini, who has played only one T20I match so far, has been brought in for the final. Notably, Pratika failed to live up to the expectations in entire tournament.
The Indian team had fielded an unchanged team in all four matches; however, they have now rested Rawal in an important final while giving Kamalini a chance. There has been no explanation from the captain or the team management regarding this decision.
However, it will be interesting to see how Kamalini is going to fare in her second T20I in a high-pressure match. Kamalini is only 18 years old and made her debut against Sri Lanka, scoring only 12 runs off 12 balls. However, the wicketkeeper-batter is being backed by the management, which means she might have impressed the coaches and the captain during the practice sessions.
As India look to win their eighth Women’s Asia Cup title and Sri Lanka try to stop them and win two consecutive titles, the battle is going to be entertaining for cricket fans around the globe.
Which player replaced Pratika Rawal in the final against Sri Lanka in the Women’s Asia Cup?
Gunalan Kamalini replaced Pratika Rawal in India’s playing XI for the final.
Which nation is the most successful nation in the Women’s Asia Cup?
India is the most successful nation in the Women’s Asia Cup, having won the title 7 times before the 2026 edition.
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