DUBAI: BCCI Ordered Indian Women’s Team to Refuse Asia Cup Trophy, Indian women’s cricket team head coach Amol Muzumdar has confirmed, saying the decision was taken by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the players followed the board’s directive.
India won the Women’s Asia Cup after defeating Sri Lanka by 72 runs in the final, but the celebrations were overshadowed by the team’s absence from the official trophy presentation. The Indian players reportedly remained inside their dressing room instead of coming out to receive the trophy from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) President Mohsin Naqvi.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Muzumdar was asked about the whereabouts of the tournament trophy and when the Indian team would receive it. The coach said the players had not been given any information regarding when they would receive the silverware.
When questioned specifically about whether the decision had been made on BCCI instructions, Muzumdar confirmed that the stand had been taken by the Indian cricket board.
“The stand was taken by the BCCI. We are united and standing by it,” Muzumdar said, according to reports from the press conference.
BCCI Ordered Indian Women’s Team to Refuse Asia Cup Trophy
The coach’s statement provides a clear indication that the Indian players’ absence from the presentation was not an individual decision by the team. Instead, the decision was attributed to the BCCI, with the players reportedly following the board’s position.
Muzumdar was also questioned about whether refusing to receive the trophy could be viewed as being against the spirit of sportsmanship. He rejected that characterization and again emphasized that the decision had been made by the cricket board.
The Indian team’s absence meant that Sri Lankan captain Chamari Athapaththu attended the presentation and accepted the runners-up prize-money cheque from Naqvi.
The episode has attracted considerable attention because it closely resembles last year’s Men’s Asia Cup controversy, when the Indian men’s team also reportedly declined to collect the trophy from Naqvi after defeating Pakistan in the final.
The latest incident therefore represents another major controversy involving an Indian team and the ACC president during an Asia Cup trophy presentation.
India-Pakistan Cricket Relations Under Spotlight
The development comes amid longstanding tensions between India and Pakistan, which have also affected their cricketing relationship. Naqvi currently serves as president of the Asian Cricket Council as well as chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board.
The political and sporting tensions between the two countries have frequently attracted international attention, particularly during major cricket tournaments where the two sides meet.
Muzumdar had previously avoided extensive discussion of off-field issues during the tournament, maintaining that his team’s priority was to focus on cricket and perform at its best.
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However, the latest trophy controversy has once again shifted attention from India’s sporting achievement to the broader dispute surrounding cricketing relations between the two countries.
India’s 72-run victory over Sri Lanka secured its eighth Women’s Asia Cup title and underlined the team’s dominance in the continental competition. Yet the absence from the trophy ceremony has become a major talking point following the coach’s confirmation that the BCCI took the decision.
The controversy is expected to generate further discussion about the relationship between sports and politics, as well as the role of cricket boards in decisions involving official tournament ceremonies.
