Mohsin Naqvi snubbed again by India: BCCI explains why women's cricket team refused to take Asia cup trophy from Pakistan cricket chief after defeating Sri Lanka in final

BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said the Indian women’s cricket team’s decision not to receive the Women’s Asia Cup trophy from Asian Cricket Council president Mohsin Naqvi was a show of solidarity with the men’s team, which took a similar position after winning the Asia Cup last year.

Saikia said the decision followed heightened tensions between India and Pakistan after the April 2025 Pahalgam incident, while also pointing out that the Indian government’s policy allows the country to play against every nation in multinational tournaments.

“Our men’s team won the Asia Cup a year and a half ago. And our whole situation, since the April 2025 Pahalgam incident, changed after that. So, after that, there was pressure on us from our citizens that we shouldn’t keep any relations with our neighboring country and not play cricket with them. But our government has a policy that we must play against every country in multinational tournaments,” Saikia told IANS hours after India beat Sri Lanka in Sunday’s final.


“But that doesn’t mean we will follow every condition laid out for us. Our military conflict is still ongoing. One of the main leaders who is working against the interests of our country; we can’t receive the trophy from him. The Women’s team has expressed solidarity with the decision taken by the men’s team last year,” he added.

The decision recalled the controversial trophy presentation after the men’s Asia Cup final in 2025, when India beat Pakistan but the players waited for more than an hour without receiving the trophy and medals.

India women’s team backs BCCI stand on trophy

India women’s head coach Amol Muzumdar also backed the BCCI’s decision, saying the team remained united behind the board’s position after its emphatic 72-run win over Sri Lanka in the final.

“The stand has been taken by the BCCI. We stand by it. For us, this tournament is over. We are the champions. That's good enough. This tournament is over. Officially over for us,” Muzumdar told reporters after the final.

“It was on the big board that India, the champions of Asia Cup 2026. We are happy that we've turned out to be champions. Now, we look forward to the Asian Games,” he added.

The Indian players did not come out for the official trophy presentation at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Sri Lanka’s players received their runners-up medals, while captain Chamari Athapaththu collected the runners-up cheque from Naqvi.

Before the official ceremony, however, the Indian team held its own celebrations. Saikia and BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla congratulated the players, while pacer Nandani Sharma was presented with the ‘Fielder of the Match’ medal.

When asked whether there was any update on the trophy and whether India would receive it later, Muzumdar said, “No news. I cannot answer about this.”

Muzumdar later reiterated that the decision was taken by the BCCI and that the team stood by it.

“The stand has been taken by the BCCI, and we're united and standing by it. For us, this tournament is officially over. The fact that we're champions, we're really glad, and I'm really proud of every single person in this unit, including the support staff and the players, needless to say. We're looking forward to the Asian Games now,” he said.

India win eighth Women’s Asia Cup title

The trophy controversy came after India produced a dominant performance to defeat Sri Lanka by 72 runs and secure a record-extending eighth Women’s Asia Cup title.

After being asked to bat first, India posted 183/5, with Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma putting together a record-breaking opening stand. Mandhana scored 59 off 39 balls, while Shafali smashed 68 off 39 balls, including nine fours and two sixes, as the pair added 129 for the first wicket.

India’s bowlers then dismissed Sri Lanka for 111 in 20 overs. Sree Charani returned figures of 4/20, while Deepti Sharma took 3/19 as India completed a comprehensive victory.

“It doesn’t diminish the performances of our team. We have won all our matches in a one-sided manner. Women’s cricket has been growing so well in India and there’s no bigger evidence of that than this. Our whole planning is geared towards the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup. The happiest part of this tournament is how India has left everyone else behind and surged so far ahead,” Saikia said.

Muzumdar also praised the squad after the title triumph.

“Fantastic effort. They showed up from the first game and, fittingly, finished it off strong. Really proud of all the players and all the support staff as well,” he said.

Saikia explains interaction with Naqvi

Naqvi was present at the stadium and sat alongside dignitaries including Saikia and Shukla during the match. His presence also prompted questions about whether the officials interacted during the game.

Saikia said meeting Naqvi was part of normal protocol and that the interaction was not focused on the trophy.

“It’s not as if we wouldn’t meet anyone. I was sitting outside in the Royal Box seats right from the toss until the end of the game. Having sat there, I remained in that same place throughout the match. Everyone who came met me during the match; someone sat next to me, then Shukla came and sat with me. The person you mentioned also came and sat alongside Deputy Chairman Khalid (Khalid Al Zarooni) sahib. That’s just a normal tradition—whenever anyone comes, we meet and talk with everyone,” Saikia said.

Naqvi later went on stage and presented the runners-up cheque to Athapaththu, after which the ceremony ended without India collecting the championship trophy from him.

Saikia said efforts had been made to resolve the presentation issue but were unsuccessful.

“We tried to solve today's situation, but our efforts were not successful. We don’t have any regrets. Our ultimate priority and ambition was not to focus on who would give the trophy. We wanted the Indian team to win and we’ve achieved that.”

He also said his interaction with Naqvi was unrelated to the trophy and centred instead on India’s next assignment.

“I also got the chance to give the fielding medal that’s given out after every game. The conversation that was had around that was about the Asian Games, not about whether the trophy should be taken or not,” Saikia said.