India women won the 2026 Women’s Asia Cup by beating Sri Lanka by 72 runs, but refused to accept the trophy from ACC chief Mohsin Naqvi. Here’s why
New Delhi: In Dubai, India’s women’s cricket team did exactly what it had come to do. They defeated Sri Lanka by 72 runs and lifted the Women’s Asia Cup title for a record eighth time.
There were celebrations on the field. Smiles on the players’ faces. And the joy of a hard-fought victory.
But then the cameras turned towards the stage.
And that’s where the story moved beyond cricket and straight into the territory of India-Pakistan relations and cricket diplomacy.
Because the Indian team refused to accept the trophy from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president Mohsin Naqvi. The players did not even turn up for the trophy presentation ceremony. Naqvi stood on the stage with the trophy, while the Indian players returned to the dressing room.
In other words, India was the champion on the scoreboard, but the usual trophy-lifting picture was missing.
First, Let’s Talk About the Match
India batted first in the final. Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma gave the team a strong start, helping India post 183 runs.
Sri Lanka, in reply, struggled against the Indian bowlers and were bowled out for 111.
India won the final by 72 runs and became the Women’s Asia Cup champions for the eighth time.
On the field, India left no room for complaints.
But the real drama began after the match.
Naqvi Arrived. The Indian Team Didn’t
Mohsin Naqvi was present on the stage to hand over the trophy.
Naqvi currently holds three important positions. He is Pakistan’s Interior Minister, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), and the president of the Asian Cricket Council.
And that is where the controversy begins.
The Indian team’s objection was not about playing cricket on the field. The issue was Naqvi’s presence as the ACC president during the trophy presentation.
The BCCI had reportedly already conveyed its position to the ACC. According to reports, the Indian board had made it clear that the team would not accept the trophy from Naqvi.
And then, that is exactly what happened.
The presentation ceremony began, but the Indian players did not show up.
The Sri Lankan players collected their medals and the runners-up cheque. But when it came to the Indian team, the trophy and medals remained stuck in the middle of the controversy.
This Wasn’t the First Time
Now comes the biggest twist in the story.
Almost the same situation played out during the men’s Asia Cup in 2025.
India had defeated Pakistan in the final to win the title. Even then, the Indian team refused to accept the trophy and medals from Mohsin Naqvi.
The presentation ceremony was delayed, and the controversy escalated to such an extent that there was no conventional trophy-lifting picture of the Indian team.
So, what happened in 2025 was repeated by the Indian women’s team in 2026.
The only difference?
This time, it was the women’s team.
And the message once again appeared clear: We will play the match. We will win the title. But we will not take the trophy from Naqvi.
Why Is India Keeping Its Distance From Naqvi?
The answer lies less in cricket and more in the current state of India-Pakistan relations.
Mohsin Naqvi is not just a cricket administrator. He is also a senior member of the Pakistani government and serves as the country’s Interior Minister.
So when he stands on stage as ACC president to hand the trophy to the Indian team, the moment is no longer seen simply as a cricketing ceremony.
It carries a political dimension as well.
India and Pakistan have been dealing with longstanding political and security tensions. Against this backdrop, the BCCI had already made its position clear regarding the trophy presentation involving Naqvi.
The message, therefore, was straightforward:
Cricket is one thing. But there are limits when it comes to symbolic gestures.
Naqvi Had a Response Too
After the incident, Mohsin Naqvi met BCCI officials Rajeev Shukla and Devajit Saikia.
According to reports, Naqvi said, “We meet everyone.”
So while the trophy presentation remained controversial, communication between the cricket administrators did not completely stop.
And that is what makes this entire episode interesting.
On one side are the players, who want to focus on cricket while navigating the political circumstances around the game.
On the other are cricket boards, which have to deal with the impact of India-Pakistan tensions.
And then there is the ACC, whose president is currently also a senior government minister in Pakistan.
So, Did India Give Up the Trophy?
And this distinction is important.
India won the Asia Cup.
The team did not participate in the trophy presentation, but that does not change the fact that India were the tournament champions.
The actual dispute was not about winning the trophy.
It was about who would hand it over to the Indian team.
And that is exactly where this incident moves beyond a regular cricket story.
India showed its strength on the field.
Then it showed its position on the stage.
Now the question is not just whether India will win the Asia Cup again next time.
The bigger question is: Who will be standing on that stage to hand over the trophy?
Because after the men’s team took the same stand in 2025 and the women’s team repeated it in 2026, this no longer looks like an isolated incident.
It increasingly looks like a policy position.
India are champions on the field.
But perhaps the defining image from that night in Dubai was not one of the Indian team lifting the trophy.
It was the image of the trophy standing on the stage… while the Indian team was nowhere to be seen.
