Will the Indian women’s cricket team stick to the BCCI’s no-handshake policy when they meet arch-rivals Pakistan in their Women’s Asia Cup 2026 clash? Harmanpreet Kaur and Co. face Hong Kong next on September 3 before coming up against Pakistan on September 5.
When asked this question at a press conference on the eve of the start of India’s campaign, head coach Amol Muzumdar brushed aside the query and said that the team is focusing on one game at a time. India Women play their opening match against Thailand in Group A in Dubai.
The BCCI has been following a strict no-handshake policy against the Pakistan team since the 2025 Men’s Asia Cup, following the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, 2025. The Indian women’s team maintained the policy during their Women’s ODI World Cup fixture against Pakistan in Colombo in October 2025, while Indian players stuck to the protocol at the Men’s Rising Stars Asia Cup in November 2025. Most recently, in June 2026, Harmanpreet Kaur’s team maintained the ongoing stance, opting not to shake hands with the Pakistan captain and players during the Women’s T20 World Cup clash in Birmingham.
In that tournament, the Suryakumar Yadav-led Indian side avoided any kind of handshakes with Salman Ali Agha’s team across all three of their encounters, including the title clash. In the pre-tournament press conference in Dubai, Harmanpreet didn’t give a clear answer when asked if handshakes would happen when the India-Pakistan clash takes place at the Dubai International Stadium. Asked whether the team is eyeing an eighth Asia Cup title in the UAE, Muzumdar refused to look too far down the road.
Since then, the protocol has been consistently upheld across senior, age-group, and women’s cricket tournaments. Meanwhile, India enter the continental tournament as the most successful team in the history of the event, having lifted the trophy seven times previously.
