India Sweep the SABA Qualifiers to Book Their Division B Berth

India reaffirmed their grip on South Asian women's basketball, sweeping every game at the FIBA U18 Women's Asia Cup 2026 SABA Qualifiers and beating hosts Sri Lanka 83-57 in the final to claim the Sub-Zone's berth at the continental event.
The young Indians were a class apart at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium. They tore through the group phase to top the round-robin including a 74-44 win over Sri Lanka and a 110-24 demolition of the Maldives before completing an unbeaten campaign in the title game.
Sri Lanka, roared on by a packed home crowd, actually drew first blood in the final, taking the opening quarter 20-16. But India shrugged off the slow start with a withering second-quarter surge and never looked back, pulling steadily clear to win by 26. Captain Viha Jonnalagadda (182-F-2009), named the tournament's Most Valuable Player, and Mahek Sharma (179-C-2010) led the charge at both ends. Sri Lanka captain Binuthi Jayasinghe was magnificent in defeat with 28 points and seven rebounds, but had too little support to trouble the champions. In the third-place game, the Maldives edged Bangladesh 62-59.
With the win, India secured their place in the FIBA U18 Women's Asia Cup 2026 Division B, to be played in Bangkok from July 13-19. The Division B field comprises six teams from Asia plus two from Oceania, with Kazakhstan having become the first Sub-Zone qualifier via a clean sweep of the CABA event in April, and the SEABA representatives and host Thailand also in the mix.