Mohsin Naqvi to attend Women’s Asia Cup 2026 finals, huge drama on cards?
The drama between India and Pakistan at last year's Men's ACC Cup 2025 is still fresh in the minds of fans and players alike. The Indian players neither exchanged handshakes with the Pakistani players nor accepted the trophy from ACC chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who is also Pakistan's interior minister, after winning the tournament. The limit was reached when Mohsin Naqvi returned with the trophy, and India has not received it yet.
Now, a similar situation appears to be brewing once again. A trophy showdown is on the cards once again, and this time it will be the Indian women's team that will be at the forefront. According to a report, the PCB chairman is set to attend the Women's Asia Cup final on September 13th as the chief guest for the closing ceremony. In Naqvi's presence, he may very well decide to hand over the trophy to the eventual winners, and it will all depend on the Harmanpreet Kaur-led team if they wish to accept the silverware from him. With India being the favorites to win the tournament, a lot of drama can once again be expected after the final ball is bowled.
In the Asia Cup 2025, the Suryakumar Yadav-led Indian team decided not to accept the trophy from Mohsin Naqvi and, after defeating Pakistan in the final, celebrated on the podium without the title. Relations between India and Pakistan have been strained since the 2025 Pahalgam terrorist attack. A bilateral series between the two countries hasn't been played in over a decade, and both teams only play in ICC & ACC tournaments.
After last year's Pahalgam terrorist attack, it was well known that India would not accept the trophy from Naqvi, but the ACC president still decided to make his presence felt by attending the post-match presentation. Team India players remained seated on the field for over an hour, but Mohsin Naqvi refused to leave the stage. India did not accept the title from Naqvi, and the team still hasn't received the trophy, which remains at the ACC office in Dubai.
It remains to be seen if the India women team repeats the same story this time around. There has been no official statement from the BCCI so far on whether the women's team will take the trophy from Naqvi if it wins the Asia Cup. The Harmanpreet Kaur-led Indian women's team qualified for the semi-finals after remaining unbeaten in the group stage. Recently, India bowled out the Fatima Sana-led Pakistan team for just 55 runs in Dubai to win by seven wickets. India had defeated Thailand and Hong Kong before Pakistan in their group stage campaign in the eight-team Women's Asia Cup.
