Devajit Saikia, the secretary of the BCCI, has expressed optimism that the Indian teams will soon get both of the Asia Cup trophies. Nevertheless, at the post-match trophy presentation ceremony, Harmanpreet Kaur’s Indian team rejected to accept the prize. After winning the final, Sri Lankan captain Chamari Athapaththu accepted the runners-up check from ACC president and PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi while the players remained off the stage.
In the Women’s Asia Cup 2026 final on Sunday in Dubai, India’s women’s side defeated Sri Lanka by 72 runs to win the competition for the eighth time. As India reached 183 for 5 in 20 overs, Shafali Verma struck 68 off 39 balls and was named Player of the Match. She and Smriti Mandhana both contributed 129 runs for the opening partnership.
The reasons behind India’s rejection of the award presentation
The Asian Cricket Council was forewarned by the BCCI that the Indian team would not take the Women’s Asia Cup trophy from Naqvi.
Devajit Saikia pointed out that if ACC Deputy Chairman Khalid Sahib had given the prize instead, the Indian delegation would have gladly attended the presentation event.
Given that the ACC Chairman is also the Interior Minister of a nation that does not have cordial ties with India, the BCCI took a strong stand in the wake of the Pahalgam event.
The BCCI and the squad honored the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack by abstaining from the award ceremony. Devajit Saikia emphasized that the controversy did not come from the Indian side and that winning the event was more significant than the ceremony itself.
The Indian men’s team similarly refused to accept the trophy from Naqvi in a similar incident that happened at the 2025 Asia Cup. After that, the trophy from that competition was stored at the ACC office in Dubai.
