Indian Women's Cricket Team Declines Asia Cup Trophy for Second Consecutive Year
Asia Cup Trophy Controversy Persists
For the second consecutive year, the Indian women's cricket team has opted not to accept the Asia Cup trophy. This decision came after their victory over Sri Lanka on Sunday, where they triumphed by 72 runs, yet did not participate in the post-match award ceremony led by Mohsin Naqvi, the chairman of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) from Pakistan.
Under the leadership of Harmanpreet Kaur, India secured their eighth Asia Cup title, extending their record, but the players chose to skip the field presentation.
All smiles in Dubai
A dominating show by #TeamIndia as they beat Sri Lanka by 7⃣2⃣ runs to clinch their 8⃣th #WomensAsiaCup title
Scorecard
https://t.co/knKLXGSfOd #INDvSL pic.twitter.com/vwLmZZcUUD
— BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) September 13, 2026
In the post-match press conference, India’s head coach Amol Muzumdar stated, "Winning the Asia Cup is what matters to us, trophy or not. The BCCI has decided not to accept the trophy from Naqvi, and we respect that stance."
This situation mirrors last year's incident when the Indian men's team also refused to accept the Asia Cup trophy from Naqvi, who is also the Interior Minister of Pakistan.
Currently, the Asia Cup trophy remains at the ACC office, as the Indian team celebrated their victory without the physical award.
Unlike last year, the Indian women's team did not return to the field after BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia awarded Nandini Sharma with a best fielder medal.
In contrast, the Sri Lankan team received their runners-up cheque from Naqvi, and all players were awarded medals by the interim chief of the Sri Lanka Cricket Board, Eran Wikramaratne.
Naqvi left the venue shortly after presenting the award to Sri Lankan captain Chamari Athapaththu, this time without carrying the trophy.
The diplomatic relations between India and Pakistan have been strained since the Pahalgam terror attack last year, leading to a no-handshake protocol between players from both nations during international events.