Indian women’s cricket team won the finals of the Asia Cup 2026 by crushing Sri Lanka by 72 runs but their celebration didn’t involve the trophy of the tournament as they skipped the ceremony because of Mohsin Naqvi’s presence.
Head coach Amol Muzumdar interacted with mediapersons after the big win and stated firmly that the tournament was “officially” done and dusted for them, whether they got the trophy or not. He explained that skipping the ceremony with Mohsin Naqvi was a decision backed fully by the BCCI and the entire team stood behind it.
The win itself was emphatic. Led by Harmanpreet Kaur, India defeated Sri Lanka by 72 runs in Dubai to claim their eighth Asia Cup title, extending their own record in the tournament. But despite the dominant victory, the players chose not to step onto the field for the post-match presentation.
This isn’t a new situation for Indian cricket. Just last year, the men’s team had also refused to accept the Asia Cup trophy and medals from Mohsin Naqvi, who serves as both the head of the Pakistan Cricket Board and the country’s Interior Minister.
Speaking to reporters after the match, Amol Muzumdar reinforced the team’s position, saying that the decision belonged to the BCCI and that everyone stood united behind it. According to him, the tournament was over for the team in every sense, they were the champions and that alone was enough. He said the scoreboard had already declared India as the 2026 Asia Cup champions and the team was thrilled with that achievement. Looking ahead, he mentioned the team’s focus now shifts to the upcoming Asian Games.
Interestingly, the men’s team is still yet to actually receive their Asia Cup trophy, it currently remains stored at the ACC office. Instead of a formal ceremony, the squad, led by Suryakumar Yadav, had simply celebrated informally on the podium without the trophy in hand.
Amol Muzumdar also spoke about the sense of unity within the setup, saying that everyone stood by the BCCI’s decision. He added that the team considered the tournament closed for them, and that he felt genuinely proud of every member of the unit, players and support staff alike.
This time around, a similar pattern played out with the women’s team. After BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia handed out an in-house Best Fielder medal to Nandani Sharma, the rest of the Indian squad chose not to return to the ground for the remainder of the ceremony.
What do you think of this whole episode?
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