Dubai: India’s women’s cricket team refused to collect the Women’s Asia Cup 2026 trophy from Asian Cricket Council chairman and Pakistan Cricket Board chief Mohsin Naqvi after beating Sri Lanka by 72 runs in the final on Sunday.
The decision, which overshadowed India’s dominant title-winning campaign, was backed by the team’s head coach Amol Muzumdar, who said the move was in line with the position taken by the Board of Control for Cricket in India.
“We are the champions. Trophy or no trophy doesn’t matter to us,” Muzumdar said, emphasizing that India remained proud of securing a record-extending eighth Asia Cup title.
The Indian team did not return to the field for the customary trophy presentation. Before the ceremony, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia presented Nandini Sharma with the team’s in-house Best Fielder medal.
The presentation then proceeded without the Indian players. Naqvi handed the runners-up cheque to Sri Lanka, while Sri Lanka Cricket interim chief Eran Wickramaratne presented medals to the team’s players and support staff.
Saikia later said India had proposed alternatives for the trophy presentation, suggesting that ACC deputy chairman Khalid Al Zarooni or a representative of the Indian cricket board hand over the trophy.
According to Saikia, those alternatives were not accepted by Naqvi, resulting in the trophy presentation standoff.
The incident is reminiscent of the controversy surrounding the men’s Asia Cup in 2025, when India similarly declined to receive the trophy from Naqvi.
Relations between India and Pakistan have remained tense following the Pahalgam terror attack and India’s subsequent Operation Sindoor. The strained ties have also spilled into cricket, with players from the two countries following a no-handshake protocol at major tournaments.
Despite the off-field controversy, India completed a commanding campaign on the field, defeating Sri Lanka by 72 runs in the final to claim its eighth Women’s Asia Cup title.
