India lets politics overshadow Asia Cup truimph

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India lets politics overshadow Asia Cup truimph​

ACC sources said from Dubai that the trophy presentation protocol had been agreed in advance

Alam Zeb Safi
September 14, 2026

All captains posing with the Asia Cup Rising Stars 2026 trophy. Photo: ACC

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KARACHI: India’s women declined to receive the Asia Cup trophy from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) President Mohsin Naqvi after beating Sri Lanka by 72 runs in Dubai on Sunday, in the latest episode to strain cricketing ties between India and Pakistan.

India sealed the title with a commanding victory but did not come out of their dressing room to collect the trophy from Naqvi, who had travelled to Dubai to attend the presentation ceremony in his capacity as ACC president. Naqvi is also the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and Pakistan’s interior minister.

ACC sources said from Dubai that the trophy presentation protocol had been agreed in advance and that the trophy was available to be presented to the winners. They added the Indian team itself decided not to receive it from Naqvi.

“Our position has not changed,” one source said. Naqvi had not moved from his earlier position and remained in the same position on Sunday, the source added, referring to last year’s incident when India’s men’s team declined to receive the Asia Cup trophy from Naqvi after winning the men’s tournament.

The incident comes amid already strained cricketing relations between the two neighbours, whose sporting ties have been affected by wider political tensions. The 2025 men’s tournament was also overshadowed by India’s no-handshake with Pakistan controversy. Later, India’s under-19 side also declined to receive medals from Naqvi after finishing runners-up in a tournament in Dubai, with the medals subsequently presented by an Afghanistan Cricket Board official.

Pakistan’s Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry criticised India’s decision. “India is unable to digest its defeat on the military and diplomatic front and has dragged politics into sports,” Chaudhry said.

In the past India’s decision not to travel to Pakistan for the Champion’s Trophy, which Pakistan hosted, had been a bad precedent of India’s stance to drag politics into sports. The tournament was subsequently played under a hybrid arrangement, with India’s matches moved to a neutral venue.

Under the arrangement, India-Pakistan matches in ICC events are also scheduled to be played at neutral venues through 2027.

 

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India Women Refuse Asia Cup Trophy From Mohsin Naqvi​

India’s women’s cricket team won the Women’s Asia Cup in convincing fashion, but the post-match presentation quickly became the talking point. After beating Sri Lanka by 72 runs in the final, India did not collect the trophy from Asian Cricket Council president Mohsin Naqvi.

BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia has now explained the reason behind the decision. He said the women’s team stood by the position taken by India’s men’s team during last year’s Asia Cup.

Why India Did Not Take the Trophy​

According to Saikia, the decision was linked to the continuing tensions between India and Pakistan. He said the situation had changed significantly following the April 2025 Pahalgam incident.

Saikia explained that while India continues to play Pakistan in multinational competitions under government policy, that does not mean every condition surrounding those events has to be accepted.

He said the Indian team could not receive the trophy from Naqvi because of his political position and described the women’s team’s action as an expression of solidarity with the men’s side.