India’s women’s cricket team followed the men’s team’s lead and did not receive the Women’s Asia Cup 2026 trophy from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president Mohsin Naqvi after winning the tournament at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
An unusual sequence of events followed India’s 72-run win over Sri Lanka in the final. The presentation ceremony was delayed, and began around 40 minutes after the close of play.
Match officials were first presented with mementos. Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu, her teammates and the coaching staff then collected their runners-up medals, while Athapaththu received the runners-up cheque from Naqvi in his capacity as ACC president.
The broadcast concluded after Athapaththu’s interview, without showing India’s players receiving their winners’ medals or the trophy.
“India are officially the (Asia Cup) champions. Trophy or no trophy doesn’t matter to us. This is BCCI’s stand (to not take trophy from Naqvi). We can’t say anything on this,” India head coach Amol Muzumdar said in the post-match press conference.
Mohsin Naqvi was standing on the podium to present the trophy. When Smriti Mandhana came out and saw him standing there, she went back into the dressing room.???????????????? pic.twitter.com/al1fQ6wXu5
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Did Naqvi take the trophy after the Women’s Asia Cup 2026 presentation ceremony?
Naqvi left the stadium soon after presenting Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu with the runners-up cheque. Unlike the men’s Asia Cup presentation last year, however, he did not leave with the trophy.
Diplomatic relations between India and Pakistan have remained frozen since last year’s Pahalgam terror attack and the subsequent Operation Sindoor.
Players from both countries, in men’s and women’s cricket, now follow a no-handshake protocol when they meet in Asian or ICC events.
Timeline: What happened when India men declined the trophy
- September 2025: India beat Pakistan by five wickets in the men’s Asia Cup final in Dubai, with Tilak Varma making an unbeaten 69.
- More than an hour of delay: The presentation ceremony was held up as India made clear that it would not receive the trophy from Naqvi, who is also Pakistan’s interior minister and chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board.
- Alternative proposal: Reports at the time said India was willing to receive the trophy from Emirates Cricket Board vice-chairman Khalid Al Zarooni. Naqvi, however, insisted on presenting it as ACC president.
- Individual awards presented: Kuldeep Yadav, Abhishek Sharma and Tilak received individual awards from other dignitaries. Pakistan captain Salman Agha collected the runners-up cheque.
- Ceremony ends without trophy: Presenter Simon Doull announced that the ACC had informed him India would not collect their team awards. The ceremony concluded without India receiving the winners’ medals or trophy, which was removed from the presentation area.
- India’s celebration: Suryakumar Yadav and his teammates mimicked a trophy lift during their on-field celebrations. Suryakumar later said the players had decided not to accept the trophy from Naqvi and had not been instructed to do so.
India combine high standards with a clinical final display
The ceremony overshadowed a comprehensive Indian performance, led by Shafali Verma’s 68, Smriti Mandhana’s 59 and left-arm spinner Shree Charani’s 4 for 20.
Here’s what Harmanpreet Kaur said after winning Asia Cup 2026 final: While talking to broadcasters after beating Sri Lanka in the grand finale, India captain Harmanpreet Kaur said her side’s record-extending eighth Women’s Asia Cup title was the result of consistently matching the high standards the team had set for itself.
Opening duo Shafali Verma (68) and Smriti Mandhana (59) struck half-centuries before the bowlers, led by Shree Charani (4/20), complemented them with a splendid effort. India avenged their defeat to Sri Lanka in the previous edition’s final to regain the title with a 72-run victory.
“We set some really high standards for us, and we had to match them every day, and I’m pretty happy with the way we all came up together,” Harmanpreet said.
“We know how much potential we have, and we have a great team. I think we played to our standards because that’s what we discussed when we came here. We have certain standards, and we have to keep matching them every day.
“And we are very happy with the way we all performed. And I think the girls have done fabulously well throughout the entire tournament. Setting 184 in a final is a big thing.”
On the opening pair, Harmanpreet said: “We all knew it’s not that easy to come back, but I think our openers did an absolutely great job for us, the way they both batted, Smriti and Shafali.
“I think Shafali had a great tournament, and it’s good to see somebody like Shafali taking responsibility and doing the job with bat and ball. I can’t ask for anything else from them. It’s all about playing good cricket, and at the end of the day, I’m very happy overall.”
Head coach Amol Muzumdar credited India’s strong batting effort, singling out Shafali’s power and charisma, Mandhana’s flair and the team’s three-pronged spin attack.
“Really proud of all the players and support staff. It was a fantastic pitch today and we came up good. Our batting was very strong. We started really nicely,” he said.
“If you see throughout the fortnight, the pitch was a bit on the slower side and it turned quite a bit. So putting on a big score and defending it… we had three quality spinners, so that was the tactic,” he added.
