India win Women’s Asia Cup but do not accept trophy

India secured a 72-run victory over Sri Lanka in the Women’s Asia Cup final in Dubai, claiming the tournament for a record eighth time. The on-field result was overshadowed by a contentious awards presentation in which the Indian team did not appear on stage to accept the trophy or medals.

The post-match ceremony was pushed back by over 45 minutes. Once proceedings began, match officials received medallions and Sri Lanka’s players came forward for their runners-up medals; Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu accepted her team’s award from ACC president Mohsin Naqvi. No individual honours, including Player of the Match or Player of the Tournament, were presented, and the Indian side was not called up to collect the trophy or their medals.

Videos and images shared on social media showed India’s players and support staff standing together outside their dressing room during the presentation, rather than moving to the stage. Tournament organisers, the Asian Cricket Council, and the Board of Control for Cricket in India did not provide a public explanation to reporters. The tournament’s official social accounts did not publish trophy celebration images; the Indian women’s team posted a group photo taken in an apparently empty stadium after the ceremony.

The scene recalled a similar refusal by India at last September’s men’s Asia Cup final at the same Dubai venue, when India declined to take the trophy from Naqvi. That earlier incident was publicly linked by the BCCI’s chairman at the time to Naqvi’s role as a senior Pakistani political figure. The refusal comes against a backdrop of sharply strained India–Pakistan relations since a deadly attack in Indian-administered Kashmir in April 2025 and subsequent cross-border military operations in May 2025; those hostilities have already affected how teams from the two countries interact at international cricket fixtures. Both nations are scheduled to compete at the upcoming Asian Games, where a potential India–Pakistan meeting in the knockout stages or a final remains possible.