India women’s head coach Amol Muzumdar said the BCCI instructed the champions not to accept the Asia Cup trophy from ACC President Mohsin Naqvi.
India’s Women’s Asia Cup triumph was followed by a controversial trophy presentation after the team did not appear at the official ceremony to receive the championship trophy. Head coach Amol Muzumdar later confirmed that the decision came from the Board of Control for Cricket in India, with the players following the board’s instructions.
India defeated Sri Lanka by 72 runs in the final in Dubai to win the Women’s Asia Cup for a record-extending eighth time. However, the post-match presentation became the major talking point after the Indian players did not come onto the stage where ACC President Mohsin Naqvi was standing.
Naqvi is also Pakistan’s interior minister and chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board. His involvement in the trophy presentation created a politically sensitive situation given the longstanding tensions between India and Pakistan. The Indian team remained away from the presentation area while the ceremony proceeded without the champions receiving their trophy.
Muzumdar addressed the matter after the match and said that the decision had been taken by the BCCI. He indicated that the team accepted the board’s position and considered the tournament itself successfully completed after becoming champions of Asia. He also said the team had no information about when or how it would receive the trophy.
The incident meant that the traditional trophy presentation did not take place in its usual form. Sri Lanka’s players did receive their runners-up medals from Naqvi, while the Indian team and several individual award recipients were not called to the stage in the same manner.
The episode is not completely unprecedented. India’s men’s team had also declined to receive the Asia Cup trophy from Naqvi after winning the 2025 final in Dubai. The latest incident therefore adds another chapter to the growing tension surrounding sporting ceremonies involving India and Pakistan.
Despite the controversy, India’s achievement on the field remained significant. The team defeated Sri Lanka convincingly and reclaimed the continental title, with Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana and Shree Charani among the standout performers during the final.
The trophy issue is now likely to remain a talking point beyond the tournament itself. While India celebrated another Asia Cup championship, the unusual presentation highlighted how wider political tensions can influence sporting events even after an otherwise successful cricket final.
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