India captain Harmanpreet Kaur won the toss and elected to bat first against Sri Lanka in the Women's Asia Cup final at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Kaur, at the toss said the decision had been made collectively by the Indian team. With a place in the final and the Asia Cup title at stake, India felt that setting a target would give them a chance to put Sri Lanka under pressure during the second innings.

"Yeah, we are going to bat first today. I feel it's a very important game for us, and I think having a score on the board is always positive. That is the reason we decided as a group that we'll bat first,"Kaur said.

India also made a notable change to the playing XI. G Kamalini came into the side for Pratika Rawal, giving the youngster her first appearance of the tournament and only her second T20I for India, according to the skipper.

India entered the final unbeaten and with considerable momentum behind them. They had defeated Bangladesh by 40 runs in the semi-final, while Sri Lanka reached the title clash after beating Pakistan by four wickets. Both teams had gone through the tournament without a defeat.

For India, the decision to bat first places responsibility on an explosive top order led by Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma, with Harmanpreet herself providing experience in the middle order. Shafali had been among India's leading run-scorers during the tournament, while Smriti had also produced a major innings earlier in the competition.

Sri Lanka, meanwhile, will begin the final with the ball before taking their turn with the bat. Defending champions after their historic victory over India in the 2024 final, Chamari Athapaththu's side will be hoping to restrict India to a manageable total before beginning their chase.

The final is also a contest between two sides that have dominated the tournament. India are seeking an eighth Women's Asia Cup title, while Sri Lanka are attempting to retain the trophy they won for the first time two years ago.