Devajit Saikia on Asia Cup Trophy Row: ‘The Trophy Will Be With Us Very Soon’

Devajit Saikia, BCCI Secretary, expressed hope that both Asia Cup trophies would be handed over to Indian teams shortly.

However, the Indian team, captained by Harmanpreet Kaur, rejected to accept the trophy during the post-match ceremony. After winning the final, the players left the stage, leaving Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu to accept the runners-up payment from ACC president and PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi.

India’s women’s team defeated Sri Lanka by 72 runs in the Women’s Asia Cup 2026 final on Sunday in Dubai, winning the tournament for the eighth time.

Shafali Verma was named Player of the Match after scoring 68 off 39 balls, and she and Smriti Mandhana combined 129 runs for India’s opening stand, which finished at 183 for 5 in 20 overs.

Why did India deny the prize presentation?

The BCCI had already told the Asian Cricket Council that the Indian team would not accept the Women’s Asia Cup trophy from Naqvi.

Devajit Saikia stated that the Indian delegation would have gladly attended the presentation event if the trophy had been delivered by ACC Deputy Chairman Khalid Sahib.

Following the Pahalgam tragedy, the BCCI maintained a hard stance, despite the fact that the ACC Chairman also serves as the Interior Minister of a country with which India has no good relations.

By boycotting the presentation ceremony, the BCCI and the squad honored the victims of the Pahalgam terror tragedy. Devajit Saikia insisted that winning the event was more important than the ceremony itself, claiming that the dispute did not stem from the Indian side.

A similar incident occurred during the 2025 Asia Cup with the Indian men’s team, when the players likewise refused to accept the trophy from Naqvi. The trophy from that competition was later stored at the ACC office in Dubai.