Asia Cup trophy must never be a political casualty

By K.R. Nayar

The trend of not receiving the Asia Cup winners’ trophy has continued, with the Indian women’s team following their men’s team in refusing to receive the trophy. Indian women’s team refused to receive it after recording their eighth title triumph in Dubai on September 13, 2026, while the men’s team did the same after they won the Asia Cup for the ninth time on September 28, 2025.

The Asia Cup trophy that did not get lifted

Should an Asia Cup trophy be humiliated in this manner? India’s refusal to accept the trophy is because the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) President is Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has notified the ACC in writing that Indian teams would not step onto the presentation podium if Naqvi was handing out the trophy. This is because of the Indian government’s policy regarding diplomatic relations with Pakistan’s ministers. Naqvi holds a dual role as the PCB Chairman and Pakistan’s Interior Minister.

While no handshake between the captains or players of both India and Pakistan may be tolerable, should an innocent trophy be dragged into the controversy? Either the BCCI or Naqvi should have taken a sporting stance and not humiliated a trophy that is the symbol of dominance in Asian cricket. Both instances happened in the UAE, which has often played the role of a neutral cricket venue.

When one talks about any tournament or competition, it is a fact that it seems incomplete without a trophy presentation. Whatever be the interactions during diplomatic meetings, one question that is likely to come up in every fan’s mind is whether sports should be used to express their differences. When political rivalry tries to score more runs through cricket, it turns ugly. Respect for the game and tradition should be of paramount importance, be it from the BCCI or Naqvi. If only one of them yields, the trophy will remain neither ignored nor humiliated.

One also wonders whether, in the decision over the no-handshake policy, politicians from both countries who now hold top positions have thought about the meaning of that act. A handshake in sport is supposed to be the simplest gesture in the world. Two competitors meet, one wins, one loses, and both acknowledge that they have shared the same battlefield. It is not that they have agreed on what is happening politically. As someone who has reported from Pakistan and covered many India-Pakistan series, the one thing that always stood out was that the common fan only looks to witness good cricket while following the traditions of the game.

A handshake does not mean surrender, nor does it mean agreement. It simply means, “We have played the game, and let us respect the contest.”

Indian women's team that won the Asia Cup, but did not receive it 

One hopes that both parties agree, at least, for the match referee, who is always neutral, to present the trophy in the future. In 2025, a suggestion that UAE Cricket Board top official Khaled Al Zarooni present the Asia Cup trophy was turned down by Naqvi, who insisted that if it were not him, no one should do the honour. It might be worth pondering when taking such decisions: has the trophy ever done anything wrong? There are enough cricket administrators, officials and dignitaries in Asia to ensure that the trophy does not become an orphan at the end of a final.

When the trophy presentation becomes a story, it is clear that something has gone wrong with the priorities that cricket officials possess. The least they can do now is to take a decision that the trophy will be received from an official agreeable to both parties. That could potentially end the last-minute drama and protocol puzzles.

Let the trophy ceremony not be about who is presenting the trophy, but about the game itself. Millions of young cricket fans want to see the trophy being held aloft and not a political argument. The trophy is supposed to be the full stop to a tournament, not another comma in an India-Pakistan controversy.