DUBAI: India defeated Sri Lanka by 72 runs in the Women’s Asia Cup 2026 final on Sunday, but the trophy presentation was overshadowed by a repeat of last year’s controversy involving Mohsin Naqvi.
India posted 183-5 before restricting Sri Lanka to 111, securing the continental title with a comprehensive victory.
India’s victory was powered by Shafali Verma’s 68 and Smriti Mandhana’s 59, while Sree Charani and Deepti Sharma led the bowling effort as Sri Lanka were restricted to 111.
However, the Indian team has yet to receive the tournament trophy from Naqvi, who is the president of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC).
The development comes after a similar episode during last year’s men’s Asia Cup, when India refused to accept the trophy from Naqvi following their victory over Pakistan in the final.
The ACC chairman stood firm on his decision to present the trophy himself, leading to a delay of around 90 minutes in the post-match ceremony.
With both sides refusing to back down from their positions, the ceremony concluded without the trophy being presented to the winners. Resultantly, the organisers then took the silverware away and returned it to the ACC office.
According to insiders, the unprecedented move was made on the directives of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), in what many observers described as yet another display of arrogance and politicisation of cricket by the Indian side.
The 2025 controversy came amid heightened tensions between Pakistan and India following their military conflict in May, with the political strain spilling into the cricket tournament.
