India women skip Asia Cup presentation rather than take the cup from Naqvi

India's women beat Sri Lanka by 72 runs in the Asia Cup final at Dubai International Stadium on 13 September and then stayed off the presentation podium. Asian Cricket Council president Mohsin Naqvi, who also chairs the Pakistan Cricket Board and serves as Pakistan's interior minister, handed the runners-up cheque to Chamari Athapaththu and left. Unlike the men's final last year, he did not take the trophy with him. Attendance was given as 16,339.

Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma put on 129 for the first wicket. India finished on 183 for 5. Sri Lanka were bowled out for 111. It was India's eighth Women's Asia Cup title. Coach Amol Muzumdar told reporters the decision not to collect the cup from Naqvi came from the Board of Control for Cricket in India. "We stand by it. For us, this tournament is over. We are the champions. That's good enough," he said.

What the board said the next day

BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia told The Indian Express the board had informed the ACC before the final that India would not take part in a presentation if Naqvi were the one handing over medals and the trophy. "Participation in a multinational tournament and the manner in which the trophy is received are two separate matters," he said. He added that, given circumstances and public feeling in India, the board did not think it appropriate for the team to receive the cup in the proposed way.

In later remarks quoted by Sportstar and Hindustan Times, Saikia tied the stance to the period after the April 2025 attack in Pahalgam and to last year's men's Asia Cup, when Suryakumar Yadav's side also refused the trophy from Naqvi after beating Pakistan in Dubai. He said the government still requires India to play every country in multinational events, and that this does not require accepting every condition attached to a ceremony. "One of the main leaders who is working against the interests of our country; we can't receive the trophy from him," he said. He said the women's team was acting in solidarity with the men's decision and that planning now points at the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup.

The diplomatic residue

India and Pakistan do not play bilateral cricket. They meet only in ICC and ACC events at neutral venues. A short military clash last year sat in the background of the men's snub. The women's final did not involve Pakistan as an opponent, which makes the repeat more institutional than match-specific. The ACC had not issued a detailed public reply at the time Reuters asked for comment on 14 September.

The sporting record is uncomplicated. India won every match in the tournament in one-sided fashion and holds the regional title again. The administrative record is also uncomplicated. The cup stayed off Indian hands for the second ACC final in a row because the man holding it is Pakistan's interior minister. That is now a standing BCCI position, communicated in writing before the toss, not a heat-of-the-night walk-off. Future ACC ceremonies will have to plan around it or change the person on the podium.