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India has proved that whether it is men's cricket or women's cricket, they are the best cricket-playing nation across Asia. In 2025, India won the Men's Asia Cup, and in 2026, the Harmanpreet Kaur-led women's cricket team claimed the Women's Asia Cup trophy in Dubai. After the India Women's team did not receive the trophy, Devajit Saikia revealed that they will get it soon.
In 2025, the men's Asia Cup was held amid the political tensions between India and Pakistan. Since the Government of India initiated Operation Sindoor in response to the terror attack in a deadly terror attack that killed 26 civilians in Pahalgam on April 22, 2025, the political relationship between these two neighbouring nations has not been on a positive note.
Tension remains between India and Pakistan.
The declining political relationship has also left its mark on the cricket pitch. In every multinational cricket event after Operation Sindoor, the men's and women's national cricket teams of India have maintained a distance from their arch rivals, Pakistan. The Indian cricket teams have also been avoiding customary handshakes with the Pakistan cricket team as part of their protest.
Suryakumar Yadav captained the men's cricket team to win the Men's Asia Cup in 2025. After the conclusion of the match and the talk with the broadcaster, the time to receive the trophy came. Mohsin Naqvi was on the stage to hand the trophy to the Indian cricket team. But the team refused to take the trophy from him.
Indian cricket team refused to take the Asia Cup trophy from Mohsin Naqvi
Mohsin Naqvi is not only the head of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), but is also the chief of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Additionally, he serves the government of Pakistan as an interior minister. So Naqvi is directly connected with politics.
As India refused to receive the trophy from Mohsin Naqvi, and as Naqvi also refused to ask someone else to hand over the trophy to the team, he left the venue along with the Cup. India celebrated the night without the trophy in their hands.
The same happened this year when the Indian women's cricket team won the women's Asia Cup in Dubai, defeating the Sri Lanka women's cricket team in the final match. Initially, it was reported that Naqvi could skip the presentation ceremony to avoid any further controversy.
But that did happen. Naqvi was on the stage with the trophy, and the Indian women's cricket team refused to receive it from him, just like the men's cricket team after talking with Devajit Saikia and Rajeev Shukla.
Devajit Saikia expects India to receive the Asia Cups soon
India and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have yet to get both of the Asia Cup trophies. BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia told the news agency PTI that he is expecting to collect both trophies soon.
"We are very hopeful that very soon we are going to get not only yesterday's Women's Asia Cup trophy but also the Asia Cup men's trophy, which has not been with us for the last one and a half years. So we are going to get both trophies very soon, and I am very hopeful that this is going to happen soon, and this will delight all our cricket fans," Devajit Saikia said.
"𝗕𝗖𝗖𝗜 𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝘀𝗶𝗮 𝗖𝘂𝗽 𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝗼𝗼𝗻." 🏆
— Sportstar (@sportstarweb) September 15, 2026
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said the Board is hopeful of getting both the women’s and men’s Asia Cup trophies back soon.
📹: PTI#IndianCricket #AsiaCup pic.twitter.com/I0S8lqIIsH
