India women’s head coach Amol Muzumdar said the decision not to collect the Women’s Asia Cup trophy from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Mohsin Naqvi on Sunday, September 13, was taken by the BCCI. Muzumdar added that the team stood by the governing body’s decision and was simply happy to have won the title.
The Indian coach insisted that the events surrounding the trophy presentation after their 72-run win over Sri Lanka would not take away from India’s achievement, saying the team had no regrets about the decision.
“That stand has been taken by BCCI and we stand by it. For us, this tournament is over. We are the champions. That’s good enough. It was on the big board that India champions of Asia Cup 2026. This tournament is officially over for us. We are happy that we have turned out to be champions. Now, we look forward to the Asian Games,” said Muzumdar at the post-match press conference.
“The fact that we are champions, we are really glad and I am really proud of every single person in this unit. Including the support staff and the players, needless to say,” he added.
INDIA REFUSE TROPHY FROM NAQVI
India defeated Sri Lanka to win the title with a thumping performance, but the post-match presentation ended without the team receiving the trophy from Naqvi.
The PCB chief was among the dignitaries at the venue and was seated alongside BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla and secretary Devajit Saikia as India secured the title.
After the match, the Indian players gathered around Muzumdar with Shukla and Saikia joining the celebrations. Naqvi, meanwhile, was seen interacting with other dignitaries on the field.
When the official presentation got underway, Naqvi presented the runners-up cheque to Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu. The ceremony ended shortly after Athapaththu spoke to the presented and former Sri Lanka cricketer Farvez Maharoof.
Naqvi subsequently left the ground alongside the other ACC officials, with the Indian team still without the trophy and winners’ medals.
INDIA GAVE NAQVI TWO OPTIONS
BCCI secretary Saikia said that India was always against accepting the Asia Cup trophy from Naqvi, but they still offered two alternatives for the presentation. The first proposal was for the trophy to be handed over to the Indian team by ACC deputy chair Khalid Al Zarooni. The second option, in line with recent practice, was for a representative of the winning board to present the trophy.
But Naqvi rejected both of them, leading to the standoff.
“The Indian team was always against accepting the Asia Cup trophy from Mohsin Naqvi but he was still offered a couple of options. The BCCI offered Naqvi that the Asia Cup trophy be handed over to the Indian team by ACC deputy chair Khalid Al Zarooni, which of course, he turned down.”
“As per the recent norm, the representative from the Board which wins the tournament may be allowed to hand over the trophy. However, Naqvi remained adamant and the Indian team too refused to budge and refused to accept the trophy,” said Saikia to India Today.
The latest episode comes against the backdrop of the controversy that followed the men’s Asia Cup final in September 2025.
After India defeated Pakistan to win the title, the Indian team was left waiting for more than an hour before the trophy presentation could take place. India had reportedly requested that an Emirates Cricket Board official present the trophy instead of Naqvi, citing the strained relations between India and Pakistan.
Naqvi, however, rejected the request and maintained that the Indian captain would have to collect the trophy from him. The standoff resulted in an unusual end to the presentation, with an ACC official eventually seen removing the trophy while the Indian players waited to take the stage.
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