India Clinch Record-Extending Eighth Title
IND-W vs SL-W: India defeated Sri Lanka by 72 runs in the final of the Women’s T20 Asia Cup 2026 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on September 13. The victory gave India their record-extending eighth Women’s Asia Cup title. However, the presentation ceremony became controversial when the Indian team refused to accept the champions’ trophy from Asian Cricket Council President Mohsin Naqvi, who also serves as Pakistan’s Interior Minister.
Ceremony Delayed by More Than 45 Minutes
The match ended close to 9:50 pm local time, but the ceremony did not begin until 10:40 pm. The post-match presentation was delayed by more than 45 minutes as players from both sides waited outside their respective dressing rooms. Once the stage was set up, Naqvi was seen standing alongside other dignitaries as the ceremony began. Match officials were the first to receive their medallions, followed by the Sri Lankan players.
Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu received the runners-up award from Naqvi and then spoke about her team’s performance. However, no individual awards, including Player of the Match and Player of the Tournament, were handed out. The Indian team was not called up to receive their medals or the trophy.
Indian Team Absent from Presentation
Images and videos posted on social media showed the Indian team and support staff standing in a circle outside their dressing room ahead of the ceremony. They were not seen near the stage once it got underway, and no explanation was provided for their absence at the time. The tournament’s official social media accounts did not post any trophy celebration images. The Indian Women’s cricket team’s social media account posted a group photo of the team and coaching staff in what appeared to be an empty stadium shortly after the conclusion of the award ceremony.
BCCI Made the Decision, Says Coach
Indian cricket team’s head coach Amol Muzumdar said the decision not to accept the trophy was taken by the Board of Control for Cricket in India. He stated that the stand was taken by the BCCI and the team stands by it. Muzumdar added that the tournament is over, India are the champions, and that is good enough for them. The ACC and the Indian cricket board did not respond to requests for comment.
Similar Incident from Last Year
The scene was reminiscent of a similar incident from September 2025, when India beat Pakistan to win the Men’s Asia Cup at the same venue but refused to accept the trophy from Naqvi, who headed the ACC then as well. He is also the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board. Shortly after the row at the men’s final, BCCI Chairman Devajit Saikia confirmed that India’s refusal was based on Naqvi’s presence as the leading figure of the ceremony. Saikia had said that India decided not to take the Asia Cup trophy from the ACC chairman, who happens to be one of the main political leaders of Pakistan.
Troubled India-Pakistan Relations
India-Pakistan relations have been troubled for years but plummeted further after armed attackers killed 26 men in Pahalgam, a tourism site in Indian-administered Kashmir, on April 22, 2025. The Resistance Front claimed responsibility for the attack. India alleges that TRF is a branch of the Pakistan-based armed group Lashkar-e-Taiba, an allegation Islamabad denies. Following the attack, the two countries scaled back diplomatic relations, and India suspended its participation in the Indus Waters Treaty.
On May 7, 2025, India launched multiple missile attacks on sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir under what it called Operation Sindoor. Three days later, Pakistan launched Operation Bunyan Marsoos, targeting at least six Indian military sites. On the same day, the two sides reached a ceasefire agreement announced by United States President Donald Trump.
Impact on Cricket
Since the May 2025 hostilities, every meeting of the Indian and Pakistani cricket teams has been marred by bitterness. During the Men’s Asia Cup of 2025, the Indian team did not partake in the customary handshake with their Pakistani counterparts at the pre-match toss and post-match walkoff. The teams met three times in the tournament, which became highly political due to the players’ hostile behaviour towards each other.
When Pakistan faced India in the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 in Sri Lanka, the teams steered clear of handshakes. They repeated the practice at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup earlier this year in England, as well as their group-stage match in the Women’s Asia Cup.
What’s Next
Both countries will participate in the men’s and women’s tournaments at the upcoming Asian Games in Japan. While the teams are not grouped together in the early stage as they have received direct entry into the knockouts, the possibility of an India vs Pakistan final remains in both competitions. Given the recent history, any future meeting between the two sides is likely to be closely watched both for the cricket and the political undertones.
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