Mohsin Naqvi 'didn't object' to India refusing Asia Cup trophy from him, says BCCI

Women's Asia Cup winners make a statement: India skip receiving trophy from ACC chairman Mohsin Naqvi

New Delhi: The Indian women's team clinched the Women's Asia Cup by beating Sri Lanka by 72 runs in the Dubai final on Sunday, but the celebrations came with a quiet political undertone. The squad did not accept the trophy from ACC chairman Mohsin Naqvi—a move that BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla confirmed was a collective Board decision, and one that Naqvi "didn't object" to.

This marks the second consecutive year an Indian team has declined to receive the Asia Cup trophy from the ACC chief. The men's team did the same in 2025, following the Pahalgam terror attack, and the women have now expressed full solidarity with that stance.

"We discussed the matter among ourselves and decided that we would not accept the trophy from him. It was our collective decision. Naqvi also did not raise any objection to it," Shukla told media at Indira Gandhi International Airport as the team arrived. "We informed our team accordingly, and he presented it to whoever he had to and then left."

BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia had earlier spelled out the Board's position, noting that the situation shifted after the April 2025 Pahalgam incident. "There was pressure on us from our citizens that we shouldn't keep any relations with our neighboring country and not play cricket with them. But our government has a policy that we must play against every country in multinational tournaments," Saikia said. "But that doesn't mean we will follow every condition laid out for us. Our military conflict is still ongoing... The Women's team has expressed solidarity with the decision taken by the men's team last year."

When photos surfaced showing Saikia conversing with Naqvi during the final, criticism followed—something Shukla dismissed. "What Saikia ji said is absolutely correct. When you are at a match, everyone is present there and interacts in a professional capacity. Therefore, I do not think there should be so much criticism over that."

So while the trophy came home to India, the message it carried ran far deeper than cricket.

Source: Times of India