Indian women's team refused to take the Asia Cup trophy from ACC and PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi.
Indian women defeated Sri Lankan women in the Asia Cup 2026 final in Dubai. On September 13, while Sri Lankan players received their runners-up medal and cheque from Mohsin Naqvi, the Indian women’s team refused to do so, and after some time of waiting on the podium, Naqvi stormed off the venue without handing the trophy to the victors.
This was a repeat of the Asia Cup 2025, when the Indian men’s team defeated Pakistan in the final, also in Dubai, and refused to take the trophy from Mohsin Naqvi. This tournament was played in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor, carried out by the Indian Air Force in retaliation for Pahalgam terrorist attacks by Pakistan-based terrorists.
But it wasn't always the case during the Asia Cup that the ACC chairman would present the trophy. When Sri Lanka's men's and women's teams won the Asia Cup in 2022 and 2024, respectively, Shammi Silva, the head of Sri Lanka Cricket at the time, presented the trophy.
Devajit Saikia said that the head of each cricket board would often present the trophy to the victorious team in previous Asia Cup competitions. Saikia stated that the practice was altered in 2025 after India's men won the Asia Cup, but he did not want to become involved in the debate.
“And as you are asking what happened after India winning the final match today, we made a request to all the concerned persons that, keeping the tradition of the Asia Cup, in earlier times when Bangladesh won, when Sri Lanka won, or when our former ACC chairperson, who is the ICC chair now, Jay Shah, was there, there was a norm that the winning team would get the trophy from their country’s board’s head.
If you look at Bangladesh and Sri Lanka on earlier occasions, and also for BCCI, once winning, the head of the country, either the secretary or the president, was to hand over the trophy. This norm has been changed drastically in the last, in 2024-25, when India won the men’s Asia Cup trophy. I do not want to enter into this controversy, but the only thing is that we must maintain the tradition," Saikia told India Today.
Saikia said BCCI made a similar request for Sunday’s final as well.
“That is what our request was today also. It was not hidden today, and we requested that we not change our stance. Our stand is about one and a half years old now. Because of our stand, we have yet to receive the trophy for the men’s Asia Cup. So, we cannot change it,” he added.
The BCCI delegates, Saikia and vice-president Rajeev Shukla, even asked the ACC if the council's deputy chairman could hand over the trophy to India.
“We can say that the deputy chairman of the ACC can hand over the trophy. That was our request so that all these controversies can be avoided, because everybody knows what is happening on the ground,” Saikia revealed.
Saikia said the BCCI wanted to reflect the situation in India's cricketing relationship with Pakistan rather than stir up controversy.
“We know what is happening on the ground and what is happening across the borders. Everything is known to everyone. So, we should not pretend we know nothing and that everything is hunky-dory. That is not the situation,” Saikia added.
This was the 8th time that the India women’s team won the Asia Cup title. They have won four titles in ODI format and four titles in T20I format.