India beat Sri Lanka by 72 runs to win a record-extending eighth Women’s Asia Cup title
Harmanpreet Kaur and Co. did not accept the trophy from ACC president Mohsin Naqvi, delaying the presentation
The incident echoed India men’s similar stance during the 2025 Asia Cup final in Dubai
India’s women’s cricket team refused to accept the Women’s Asia Cup trophy from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president Mohsin Naqvi after defeating Sri Lanka by 72 runs in the final at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
The presentation was delayed by close to 50 minutes after India completed their victory. While Naqvi was present on the dais, the Indian team stayed inside the dressing room.
Match officials received their mementos before Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu and her teammates collected their runners-up medals. Athapaththu also received the runners-up cheque from Naqvi.
The broadcast ended after Athapaththu’s interview, without showing India receiving their winners’ medals or trophy.
India had earlier dominated the final, with Shafali Verma scoring 68 off 39 balls and Smriti Mandhana making 59 off 39. Sree Charani took four wickets and Deepti Sharma claimed three as Sri Lanka were restricted to 111. The win gave India a record-extending eighth Women’s Asia Cup title.
Men’s Asia Cup Flashbacks
The episode echoed the 2025 men’s Asia Cup final, also played in Dubai, when India refused to accept the trophy from Naqvi after beating Pakistan by five wickets.
The presentation was delayed by more than an hour amid a disagreement over who would hand India the trophy. India were reportedly willing to receive it from another ACC official, but Naqvi remained the designated presenter.
The ceremony eventually ended without India receiving the trophy or winners’ medals. Suryakumar Yadav and his teammates later mimicked lifting an invisible trophy during their celebrations.
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia subsequently backed the team’s decision and said the board would raise the matter with the ICC.
