'Cannot receive the trophy': Devajit Saikia supports team India's refusal to take Asia Cup trophy from Naqvi

The Indian team put forth a brilliant performance in the final of the Women’s Asia Cup 2026. The side took on Sri Lanka in the final at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on September 13, and the Women in Blue managed to register a 72-run victory to win the game and clinch the title. 

It is worth noting that with India winning the game, many fans questioned whether the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side would be taking the trophy from ACC chairman Mohsin Naqvi. Notably, following in the footsteps of the men’s cricket team, the women’s side also refused to take the trophy from Mohsin Naqvi and did not come out of the dressing room for the presentation ceremony. 

Speaking on the same, the BCCI’s (Board of Control for Cricket in India) secretary, Devajit Saikia, took centre stage and



backed the Indian team’s decision not to take the trophy from Naqvi. 

“Our men’s team won the Asia Cup a year and a half [a year] ago. And our whole situation since the Pahalgam incident in April 2025 changed after that. So after that 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,” Saikia was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz. 

“But that doesn’t mean we will play and follow every condition laid out for us. The country with which our relations were already bad and which have deteriorated considerably since April 2025 - our operation is still ongoing. One of their key leaders [Naqvi] is working against the interests of our country - we cannot receive the trophy from him,” he added.