India Women Win Eighth Asia Cup Title Despite Trophy Presentation Oversight

India Women secured their eighth Asia Cup crown on Sunday, defeating Sri Lanka by 72 runs in the final at Dubai International Cricket Stadium. India posted 183 for 5 in their innings before bowling Sri Lanka out for 111. However, the triumph was overshadowed by an extraordinary trophy presentation ceremony that excluded the champions entirely.

The match wrapped up around 9:50 PM local time, yet the presentation did not commence until 10:40 PM — a delay of nearly 50 minutes. The ceremony was cut short after medals were handed to the runners-up, Sri Lanka, with no trophy or medals awarded to the Indian team. According to Cricinfo, the Indian squad organized their own presentation for the best fielder of the tournament.

“That stand has been taken by BCCI and we stand by it. For us, this tournament is over, we are the champions. That’s good enough. It was on the big board that India are the champions of Asia Cup 2026. This tournament is officially over for us. We’re happy that we’re the champions and we look forward to the Asian Games,” Muzumdar said as quoted by Cricinfo.

The presentation incident echoes a similar episode at the Men’s Asia Cup final in 2025, held at the same venue. The men’s side, captained by Suryakumar Yadav, declined to accept the winner’s trophy from Asian Cricket Council chairman Mohsin Naqvi. According to Yahoo Sports, the men’s trophy from that tournament has yet to reach India and remains in Dubai.

Captain Harmanpreet Praises Record Opening Partnership

Harmanpreet singled out Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma for setting the tone with a record 129-run opening stand, both batters compiling aggressive half-centuries to anchor India’s innings.

“I think we played to our standards because that’s what we discussed when we came here. We have certain standards, and we have to keep matching them every day. We are very happy with the way we all performed. And I think the girls have done fabulously well throughout the entire tournament, setting [a target of] 184 in a final. That’s a big thing,” said Harmanpreet.

“We all knew it’s not that easy to bat [on Dubai’s slow pitches], but I think our openers did an absolutely great job for us, the way they both batted, Smriti and Shafali. It’s all about playing good cricket, and at the end of the day, I’m very happy overall,” she concluded.

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