India Refuse Trophy from Mohsin Naqvi After Women’s Asia Cup Win

• India defeated Sri Lanka by 72 runs to win the Women’s T20 Asia Cup.
• The victory marked India’s eighth Asia Cup title in the women’s competition.
• Captain Harmanpreet Kaur did not attend the trophy presentation ceremony.
• ACC chief and Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi was present at the presentation.

GG News Bureau
Dubai, 14th Sept: The Indian women’s cricket team declined to receive the Women’s T20 Asia Cup trophy from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president and Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi after defeating Sri Lanka by 72 runs in the final in Dubai on Sunday.

Naqvi, who is also Pakistan’s Interior Minister, was present at the presentation ceremony in his capacity as an ACC and PCB official. India captain Harmanpreet Kaur did not come forward to collect the trophy after leading her side to its eighth Asia Cup title.

India posted 183 for five in 20 overs after batting first. Sri Lanka were then bowled out for 111 in 20 overs as India completed a comprehensive victory.

The trophy presentation was delayed by around 40 minutes after the match ended at approximately 9:55 pm local time. The ceremony eventually saw the umpires receive their mementoes, while Sri Lankan players collected their medals and runners-up prize.

Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu received the prize-money cheque from Naqvi.

The incident comes amid strained cricketing relations between India and Pakistan following tensions between the two countries in 2025. The Indian men’s team had also declined to receive the Asia Cup trophy from Naqvi after winning the tournament in 2025.

India women’s head coach Amol Muzumdar said the team stood by the position taken by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). He said India had completed the tournament as champions and would now turn its attention to the Asian Games.

BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia also addressed the controversy, saying the board had faced public pressure to avoid cricketing relations with Pakistan following the Pahalgam attack. He added that India’s government policy requires the country to participate against all teams in multinational tournaments.

Saikia also clarified that Indian officials had not avoided all interaction with Naqvi during the tournament. He said officials met and interacted with people in the normal course during the match, while maintaining the BCCI’s position on the trophy presentation.

The decision not to accept the trophy from Naqvi has renewed debate over the intersection of sporting events and India-Pakistan relations.