India’s women’s cricket team did not accept the Asia Cup trophy from Asian Cricket Council President Mohsin Naqvi. Head coach Amol Muzumdar revealed the reason after the team won the title in Dubai. He said the Board of Control for Cricket in India ordered the players to skip the presentation.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Muzumdar explained the decision came directly from the BCCI. “The BCCI decided that the women’s team would also not take the trophy,” he said. He also added that the players simply followed the board’s instructions. “We are the champions of Asia and we followed the board’s decision,” Muzumdar said.

Reporters then asked when the team would actually receive the trophy. Muzumdar said no information was available yet. “We don’t know anything about the trophy,” he said. “There is no news about when we will get it,” he added.

This refusal broke with the usual tournament protocol. Normally, the ACC president presents the trophy directly to the champions. However, BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla was present at the Dubai Cricket Stadium. He reportedly tried to persuade the players to accept the trophy from Naqvi. Still, people familiar with the events said the team had received strict instructions beforehand. Additionally, the board told players not to approach the presentation stage at all, according to these sources.

The women’s team decision echoed a similar refusal by the men’s team. India’s men had also declined the trophy from Naqvi after the 2025 final in Dubai. Meanwhile, India’s Under-19 team followed the same pattern in December 2025. That team declined its runners-up medals after Pakistan won the Under-19 Asia Cup final by 191 runs. An Afghan cricket board official eventually presented those medals instead.

These repeated snubs have added a political edge to cricketing relations between India and Pakistan. Sporting ceremonies increasingly seem caught up in tensions between the two countries. Therefore, questions are growing about whether cricket diplomacy can stay separate from politics. Finally, the fate of the Asia Cup trophy itself remains unclear, with no timeline given for its handover.