India’s women’s cricket team lifted a record-extending eighth Women’s Asia Cup title on Sunday after beating Sri Lanka by 72 runs in the final in Dubai. But the celebration was overshadowed once again by a now familiar scene: the Indian players walked away without collecting their trophy from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president Mohsin Naqvi.
The presentation ceremony was delayed by around 40 minutes after the match. Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu and her teammates collected their runners-up medals, and Athapaththu received the runners-up cheque directly from Naqvi.
The Indian players, however, did not return to the presentation stage. Reports from the ground said BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia and vice-president Rajiv Shukla had huddled with the players before the ceremony began.
Indian head coach Amol Muzumdar addressed the decision at the post-match press conference and made clear it came from the top. “That stand has been taken by BCCI and we stand by it. For us, this tournament is over, we are the champions. That’s good enough,” he said.
Muzumdar said that the scoreboard was proof enough of India’s win. “It was on the big board that India are the champions of Asia Cup 2026. This tournament is officially over for us. We’re happy that we’re the champions and we look forward to the Asian Games,” he said, adding that there is no word yet on when India will actually receive the trophy, since the team left Dubai without it.
Naqvi, who serves as ACC president, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman and Pakistan’s Interior Minister, was on the podium to hand over the trophy but never got the chance.
This is not the first time this has happened. At the 2025 Men’s Asia Cup final, also in Dubai, India beat Pakistan by five wickets but refused to accept the trophy from Naqvi.
