India Women Refuse Asia Cup Trophy From Mohsin Naqvi After Beating Sri Lanka
DUBAI — India’s women’s cricket team won the 2026 Women’s Asia Cup on Sunday, defeating Sri Lanka by 72 runs in Dubai, but the celebrations ended without the champions receiving the tournament trophy from Asian Cricket Council president Mohsin Naqvi.
The presentation ceremony at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium was delayed after India’s victory. Naqvi, who is also chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, was present for the ceremony, but the Indian players did not come forward to collect the trophy.
The incident echoes the controversy from last year’s men’s Asia Cup final, when India also declined to receive the trophy from Naqvi after beating Pakistan.
The Indian team’s decision on Sunday was visible during the post-match proceedings. Reports said the players did not take part in the presentation, in which Naqvi remained on the stage. Sri Lanka, the runners-up, did receive their awards, including the runners-up cheque, from him.
There was no immediate official explanation from the Indian team or the Board of Control for Cricket in India for the decision. That leaves the precise reason for the players’ refusal unconfirmed.
India dominate Sri Lanka in the final
The trophy dispute came after India had produced a commanding performance on the field.
After winning the toss, India made 183 for five in 20 overs. Shafali Verma led the scoring with 68 from 39 balls, while Smriti Mandhana made 59 from 39. The opening pair put on 129 runs, giving India control of the final from the early stages.
Shafali also reached her half-century in 24 balls, setting a new record for the fastest fifty in the Women’s T20 Asia Cup, according to reports from the tournament.
Sri Lanka never established a serious challenge in the chase. The defending champions were bowled out for 111 in 20 overs, leaving India with a 72-run victory and the title. Sree Charani took four wickets, while Deepti Sharma also played a major role with the ball.
The victory gave India their eighth Women’s Asia Cup title, extending their dominance in the tournament.
Another trophy presentation dispute involving Naqvi
The events in Dubai followed a similar episode involving India’s men’s team at the 2025 Asia Cup.
India defeated Pakistan in last year’s final but refused to accept the trophy from Naqvi, who was serving as ACC president as well as PCB chairman. The presentation was delayed, and India ultimately celebrated the title without the trophy on the podium.
The controversy subsequently continued after the tournament, with the trophy remaining in Dubai rather than being formally handed to the Indian side. India Today reported in October 2025 that the trophy was being kept at the ACC’s Dubai office and could not be handed over without Naqvi’s approval.
Naqvi’s role is central to the latest episode because he is president of the ACC, the governing body responsible for the regional tournament. His presence at the Women’s Asia Cup final had already attracted attention before the match because of the previous year’s dispute.
India’s title was never in doubt on the field
The presentation controversy overshadowed part of the immediate post-match discussion, but India’s tournament performance was emphatic.
The team entered the final unbeaten. India had defeated Bangladesh in the semi-final to book its place in the title match, while Sri Lanka reached the final by beating Pakistan in the other semi-final. The ICC confirmed before the final that India and the defending champions would meet in Dubai on September 13.
India then completed the campaign with a comprehensive victory over Sri Lanka.
For Harmanpreet Kaur’s side, the result restored the Women’s Asia Cup title after Sri Lanka had won the previous edition. The margin of victory also reflected how decisively India controlled the final once Shafali and Mandhana had established the opening partnership.
What remains unclear
The result of the final is not in dispute. Neither is the fact that the Indian players did not come forward to receive the trophy during the presentation involving Naqvi.
What remains unclear is the official reasoning behind the decision.
Neither the team nor the BCCI had publicly explained the move in the reports available immediately after the ceremony. Reports and social-media commentary have connected the episode to the earlier men’s Asia Cup controversy and broader India-Pakistan tensions, but those explanations should not be treated as an official statement of the players’ motives.
For now, the clearest facts are straightforward: India won the Women’s Asia Cup, Sri Lanka finished runners-up, and the Indian team did not accept the championship trophy from Naqvi during the scheduled presentation.
The tournament therefore ended with India celebrating another continental title — but without the traditional trophy presentation involving the ACC president.
