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Cricket PlayersIndia refuse to accept Women's Asia Cup trophy from Mohsin Naqvi, skip presentation ceremony as chaos erupts in Dubai
The Harmanpreet Kaur-led India refused to accept the Women's Asia Cup trophy from Mohsin Naqvi. Scenes from last year's repeated in Dubai.
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Mohsin Naqvi, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) President, stayed away for the majority of the Women's Asia Cup 2026 final between India and Sri Lanka but was spotted on camera moments before the summit clash came to an end. As soon as the PCB and the ACC chairman were spotted in the stands, there was a sense of dread, with everyone waiting to see whether India would receive the trophy from him after winning the tournament following the win against Sri Lanka at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday. And as fate would have it, the scenes of last year were repeated as the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side refused to take the trophy from the current supremo of the ACC.
The official broadcast picked up Naqvi seated behind BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla and secretary Devajit Saikia. When the match got over, Naqvi was also seen walking up to Shukla and seemingly congratulating him on the victory. The presentation, which normally starts 15-20 minutes after the game ends, was then delayed as the stand-off continued over who gets to hand over the silverware.
The cameras also captured BCCI officials having a lengthy chat with the women's team, and there was no word on whether the team would accept the trophy from Naqvi. Saikia was then seen handing over the fielding medal to Nandni Sharma.
Deep Dive
The presentation finally got underway after a delay of close to 50 minutes. Naqvi was present on the dais, and it was unclear whether he would hand over the trophy. Minutes later, it was confirmed. India refused to accept the title from the PCB chief, and only Sri Lankan players took their runners-up medals, with the Indian team firmly inside the dressing room.
The presentation saw only the match officials receive their mementoes, and it was followed by the Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu and her teammates coming forward one by one to receive their runners-up medals. Athapaththu then received the runners-up cheque from Naqvi before speaking to the broadcaster. The broadcast then concluded after her interview, and there were no visuals of the Indian team.
Last year, there was a lot of drama in the Men's Asia Cup as India, led by Suryakumar Yadav, refused to accept the silverware from Naqvi, who is also the PCB chairman and the Interior Minister of Pakistan. With India not accepting the trophy from the ACC chief, the men's team are yet to get their hands on the silverware as it continues to sit in the body's office in Dubai.
There was plenty of bad blood between India and Pakistan in last year's men's Asia Cup as the competition was played in the backdrop of the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor. The Men's Asia Cup marked the first time India and Pakistan players refused to shake hands, and this has been the case in cricket matches between the two teams since.
What happened in the final?
The Women's Asia Cup final started with Harmanpreet winning the toss and opting to bat. Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma then put on 129 runs for the opening wicket, and this stand helped India post a formidable total of 183/5 in 20 overs. Mandhana scored 59 while Shafali went back to the hut after playing an innings of 68.
Chamari Athapaththu, the Sri Lankan captain, was always going to be the prized scalp for India, and once Deepti Sharma returned with her wicket, there was no looking back for India as the side registered a comfortable victory in the final.
