India vs Naqvi: Why The Women's Asia Cup Trophy Wasn’t Collected

For a few hours on Sunday, India Women delivered one of their most dominant performances in tournament history - 183/5, a 72-run win, a record eighth Asia Cup crown. By the time the presentation ceremony rolled around, none of that was the headline anymore.

India Women beat Sri Lanka Women by 72 runs at Dubai International Cricket Stadium to claim a record-extending eighth Women's Asia Cup title. Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana set the tone with a 129-run opening stand - the highest opening partnership in a women's T20I tournament final - before Verma fell for 69 and Mandhana soon followed. A late flourish from G Kamalini, including some lusty hitting in the final over, pushed India to a commanding 183/5.

Sri Lanka's chase never had a chance to breathe. India's bowlers strangled the innings from the start, with Shree Charani stealing the show with four wickets and Deepti Sharma adding three as Sri Lanka were bundled out for just 111.

Then Mohsin Naqvi Showed Up

Reports earlier in the day had suggested ACC President Mohsin Naqvi was unlikely to attend, with Vice President Khalid Zarooni expected to handle the trophy presentation instead.

That changed. Naqvi was spotted in the crowd among the dignitaries as the match wrapped up, immediately raising the question of whether Sunday would replay the exact standoff from the 2025 Men's Asia Cup final, when India's men refused to accept the trophy from his hands after beating Pakistan.

A Presentation Ceremony India Didn't Show Up For

What followed strongly suggested the answer was yes. As the presentation ceremony began with Naqvi present, the Indian team was reported to still be in the dressing room, not out on the field to collect their trophy and winners' medals. After that presentation was closed, no one from the Indian team was in the presentation area, a source told myKhel.

The closing ceremony ultimately concluded without the trophy ever being handed to Team India by Naqvi.

Why This Isn't Coming Out of Nowhere

This is the second time in roughly a year that an Indian team has found itself in exactly this position. When India's men beat Pakistan in the 2025 Asia Cup final, the presentation was delayed more than an hour before India declined to accept the trophy from Naqvi altogether, with captain Suryakumar Yadav's side celebrating with an imaginary trophy instead. Naqvi, who also serves as Pakistan's Interior Minister, subsequently left that venue with the actual trophy in hand, taking it to the ACC office in Dubai - where, by some accounts, it still remains.

That backdrop is central to how Sunday's events are being read. Diplomatic tension between India and Pakistan around cricket has been building for well over a year, and Naqvi's dual role as a cricket administrator and a sitting government minister has made his presence at these ceremonies a recurring flashpoint rather than a one-off incident.

What This Means Beyond the Trophy Itself

Whatever the eventual resolution - whether the trophy is presented separately, sent to the team later, or simply left unclaimed the way it was in 2025 - the outcome on the field is not in question. India are Women's Asia Cup champions for a record eighth time, having avenged their 2024 final defeat to this same Sri Lankan side in the most comprehensive way possible.

How the moment is characterized afterward will likely depend on who's telling it. Some outlets are already framing India's stance as "involving politics in cricket," while from India's side, the position taken in 2025 and apparently repeated here reflects a deliberate refusal to have Naqvi involved in ceremonial cricket moments at all, regardless of format or gender.

Both readings will circulate in the coming hours - what's clear right now is that India's players have a trophy they've earned, and, at least as of the ceremony's conclusion, they hadn't been handed it.