DUBAI (MNN); India’s women’s cricket team once again declined to accept a tournament trophy from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, causing a delay and uncertainty during the closing ceremony of the Women’s Asia Cup 2026 in Dubai on Sunday.
The trophy presentation was delayed by more than 30 minutes after India defeated Sri Lanka by 72 runs in the final at Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
The presentation eventually concluded without the Indian players collecting their winners’ medals or the Asia Cup trophy. Sri Lankan captain Chamari Athapaththu, however, accepted the runners-up cheque from Naqvi.
The final ball was bowled at around 9:55pm UAE time, but by 10:30pm there were still no signs of the presentation ceremony beginning. Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur was interviewed by broadcasters immediately after the match, before the usual presentation formalities.
The incident echoed last year’s Men’s Asia Cup final, when India also refused to receive the trophy from Naqvi after defeating Pakistan. That ceremony was similarly delayed amid tensions following the Pakistan-India military conflict in May 2025.
There were also no customary handshakes between the teams during last year’s tournament after India declined to participate in the traditional post-match gesture.
Asked whether Sunday’s decision had been planned in advance, India head coach Amol Muzumdar said the position had been taken by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and that the team supported it.
“For us, this tournament is over. We are the champions; that’s good enough,” Muzumdar said, adding that the scoreboard had already declared India the champions of Asia Cup 2026.
India Dominate Sri Lanka in Final
India secured their eighth Women’s Asia Cup title with a comprehensive 72-run victory over Sri Lanka.
Shafali Verma scored 68 while Smriti Mandhana contributed 59 as India posted 185 for five in their 20 overs.
Spinner Shree Charani then claimed four wickets to dismantle Sri Lanka’s batting lineup. Deepti Sharma also took three wickets.
Sri Lanka struggled throughout the chase, with only Chamari Athapaththu, Vishmi Gunaratne and Nilakshi de Silva reaching double figures. Athapaththu top-scored with 36 off 32 deliveries.
Harmanpreet Kaur said India maintained the high standards they had set for themselves throughout the tournament.
She praised openers Shafali and Mandhana and particularly highlighted Shafali’s contribution with both bat and ball.
Sri Lankan captain Athapaththu said her side had not produced its best performance in all three departments but vowed to bounce back at the upcoming Asian Games.
“This is the part of the game: one team wins, one team loses,” Athapaththu said, acknowledging India’s strong performance in the final.
