Another Asia Cup, another trophy drama.
After the men’s cricket team last year, this time the Indian women’s team refused to receive the trophy from Asian cricket chief Mohsin Naqvi. BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia reflected on the Indian women’s team’s decision to decline the Asia Cup trophy and cheque from Asian Cricket Council chief Mohsin Naqvi after their triumphant campaign, stating that the team showed complete solidarity with the precedent set by the men’s team last year.
The Indian women’s team opted not to accept the Asia Cup trophy from Naqvi after winning the continental showpiece for a record-extending eighth time, following their 72-run victory over Sri Lanka at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. The move mirrored the decision of the men’s team, which did the same after winning the men’s Asia Cup by defeating Pakistan in 2025. Our overall situation changed after the Pahalgam incident in April 2025,” Saikia told IANS. “Last November, we won the 50-over World Cup. In 15 to 20 days, we will head to the Asian Games to compete for the gold medal. We are also actively working on our strategy for the 2028 ICC T20 World Cup.”
“Our men’s team won the Asia Cup a year and a half ago. This time, we defeated Pakistan once and won against Sri Lanka. We have won every match convincingly, without any close contests, which is a source of great pride.
Whenever anyone comes, we meet and talk with everyone,” he said about the meeting. Harmanpreet Kaur and Co. did not turn up to receive their trophy from Naqvi, who is also Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Interior. “Following that event, citizens across the country called on us to sever all ties and refrain from playing cricket with the neighbouring nation. During the final, Saikia could be seen meeting Naqvi. “It’s not as if we wouldn’t meet anyone. I was sitting outside in the Royal Box right from the toss until the end of the game. Having sat there, I remained in the same place throughout the match. Everyone who came met me during the match; someone sat next to me, then Shukla came and sat with me. The person you mentioned also came and sat alongside Deputy Chairman Khalid Sahib. That’s just a normal tradition. “It doesn’t diminish the performances of our team. Our team played superbly. In the men’s tournament, we defeated Pakistan three times. Women’s cricket is rising in our country, and there is no greater proof than our recent achievements.
Recently, we went to Lord’s and defeated England in a Test match, and today, we won the Asia Cup.
