Kranti Gaud penalised for fiery send-off in Women's Asia Cup 2026 final

India pacer Kranti Gaud has been penalised for giving a fiery send‑off to Sri Lanka opener Imesha Dulani in the final of the Women’s Asia Cup 2026 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on September 13.

Gaud has been fined 10 per cent of her match fee and handed a demerit point. It is her first disciplinary offence of this nature in a 24‑month period. The incident occurred in the first over of Sri Lanka’s chase of 184. Dulani played a paddle sweep off the first ball, shuffling across the off side and clearing her front leg. She timed it cleanly and beat the fine‑leg fielder to her right.

It was a clear statement of intent from Dulani and signalled Sri Lanka’s aggressive approach. The next delivery was an inswinger that came back sharply into the batter, who managed an inside edge before the ball struck her pads. India appealed, but the umpire spotted the edge and ruled in Dulani’s favour.

The third ball was a dot, and Dulani again attempted the paddle on the fourth delivery in search of another boundary. This time, she mistimed the shot and the ball crashed into her leg stump.

Gaud then gestured towards Dulani in an aggressive manner, prompting match referee Supriya Das of Bangladesh to find her guilty of breaching Level 1 of Article 2.5 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel.

Article 2.5 relates to “using language, actions or gestures which disparage, or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter upon his or her dismissal during an international match.” Level 1 offences can attract an official reprimand, a fine of up to 50 per cent of the match fee, and one or two demerit points.

The Women in Blue clinched their eighth Women's Asia Cup title, registering a commanding 72-run win over the Chamari Athapaththu-led side.