No Trophy For Victorious India In Women's Asia Cup 2026, Mohsin Naqvi Row Reignites

Mohsin Naqvi at the Women's Asia Cup final; (right) Indian women's cricket team© X/Twitter

Same venue, same drama. The Harmanpreet Kaur-led Indian women's cricket team clinched a record-extending eighth Women's Asia Cup title in Dubai on Sunday, defeating Sri Lanka by 72 runs. What followed was another Asia Cup trophy presentation controversy involving the Indian cricket team and Asian Cricket Council chief Mohsin Naqvi, who is also Pakistan's Interior Minister. The final ended at 11:25 PM IST, while the post-match presentation ceremony did not begin until 12:05 AM IST (Monday).

What Happened After India Won The Final

Former Sri Lanka player Farveez Maharoof started the delayed presentation ceremony by calling the names of match officials and the runner-up Sri Lanka team. Just when everybody thought it was India's turn to arrive on the stage, he stated that the post-match presentation ceremony was over.

It brought back memories of the 2025 Men's Asia Cup final (September 28), coincidentally at the same venue, Dubai International Stadium, when India beat Pakistan in the final but the post-match presentation was delayed. The point of contention was the presence of Mohsin Naqvi. A similar controversy appeared to unfold this time as well.

After the Indian team won the final, the players were in a huddle. BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla and secretary Devajit Saikia were present too. Saikia and Shukla presented Nandani Sharma with a medal for best fielding. Saikia addressed the players and congratulated them.

However, after that India did not turn up to take the trophy from Naqvi. This was in line with the men's team's protocol, as they too had also denied taking the trophy from the ACC president after winning the T20 Asia Cup in 2025 following their victory over Pakistan in the final. The stalemate continued for nearly an hour before Naqvi ordered the men's Asia Cup trophy to be taken away from the stadium, according to reports.

Dominant India Clinch 8th Women's Asia Cup

Earlier, Shafali Verma and vice-captain Smriti Mandhana struck forceful fifties, while the bowlers, led by Sree Charani, produced an equally impressive effort as India crushed Sri Lanka by 72 runs to clinch a record-extending eighth Women's Asia Cup title on Sunday.

Openers Shafali (68) and Mandhana (59) produced a symphony of power and grace during their 129-run stand in just 12.5 overs, guiding India to 183/5 in 20 overs.

The Sri Lankans managed to rein in the opposition's middle order in the latter stages of the innings, but they were no match for the guile of the Indian bowlers, led ably by left-arm spinner Charani (4/20), and were bowled out for 111 in 20 overs.

Their main, in fact their only, hope was skipper Chamari Athapaththu (36 off 32 balls), who added 58 runs for the second wicket with Vishmi Gunaratne.

But seasoned off-spinner Deepti Sharma dealt a body blow to Sri Lanka's aspirations, dismissing both batters in the 10th over.

Athapaththu tried to charge Deepti but was beaten in flight, and wicketkeeper Richa Ghosh did the rest.

Three balls later, Gunaratne attempted a sweep but was bowled around her legs.

At 63/3 after 10 overs, with the required run rate soaring above 12, the match was as good as over for the defending champions, despite India dropping five catches.

Earlier, after electing to bat, Mandhana, who scored her 36th T20I fifty, and Shafali, whose 24-ball fifty was the fastest in Women's Asia Cup history, shut the Sri Lankans out of the contest. In fact, Shafali eclipsed the 25-ball fifty Mandhana made in the tournament's 2022 edition.

With agency inputs

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