India are champions of Asia again. But the biggest talking point after the Women’s Asia Cup final was not just the cricket — it was what happened after it.
Harmanpreet Kaur’s India produced a dominant performance in Dubai, beating Sri Lanka by 72 runs to lift the Women’s Asia Cup for a record eighth time. India posted 183/5, powered by half-centuries from Shafali Verma (68) and Smriti Mandhana (59), before bowling Sri Lanka out for 111. But then came the awkward part.
No trophy from Mohsin Naqvi
When the presentation ceremony arrived, the Indian team did not come forward to accept the championship trophy from Mohsin Naqvi, the Asian Cricket Council president and Pakistan Cricket Board chairman.
Reports say the Indian side had already made its position known to the ACC before the ceremony. The presentation was subsequently held without the Indian players receiving the trophy from Naqvi.
This was not completely unexpected.
Almost exactly a year earlier, the Indian men's team had found itself in a similar situation after winning the 2025 Men's Asia Cup. The trophy presentation involving Naqvi became a major controversy then too.
The difference this time? It was India's women's team making the statement.
And that makes the moment even more significant.
Cricket won. Politics entered the podium.
There is no question about who won the cricket match.
India were simply too good for Sri Lanka. Shafali and Smriti gave India the perfect platform with the bat, while Sree Charani and Deepti Sharma finished the job with the ball. Sri Lanka never really got close to India's total.
But the trophy ceremony once again showed how difficult it has become to separate India-Pakistan cricket from the wider political relationship between the two countries.
Importantly, there has been no detailed public explanation from the Indian players themselves about the decision. BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia has since backed the position, while head coach Amol Muzumdar also expressed support for the team's stance.
For the Indian team, however, the message on the field was crystal clear:
Champions of Asia. Eight-time winners.
The trophy may not have been lifted on the presentation stage, but nobody can take away the title India earned on the field.
And that is perhaps the strangest ending to an otherwise brilliant night for Indian women's cricket.
