BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia has assured that the Asia Cup trophies won by India’s men’s and women’s teams will eventually make their way to the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s headquarters in Mumbai. However, Saikia stopped short of providing a specific timeline for their arrival.

The comments come after both Indian teams declined to receive their respective Asia Cup trophies from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and Pakistan’s interior minister. 

Speaking in Mumbai following the BCCI’s 95th Annual General Meeting on Friday, Saikia said he could not commit to a date but was confident that both trophies would eventually reach the BCCI office at Wankhede Stadium.

“I will not give you a timeline, but I can assure you that both the trophies will come up and land up in this BCCI head office at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.” 

India Yet to Receive Both Asia Cup Trophies

India’s men’s and women’s teams are currently the holders of their respective Asia Cup titles. The men’s team won the 2025 T20 Asia Cup after defeating Pakistan in the final, while the women’s team recently defeated Sri Lanka by 72 runs in Dubai to win the Women’s Asia Cup for the eighth time. 

However, neither team collected the trophy during the official presentation ceremony because Naqvi was scheduled to present the silverware.

The women’s team’s decision came last week after their comprehensive victory over Sri Lanka. Instead of participating in the conventional trophy presentation, the Indian players stayed away from the ceremony. The episode was similar to what happened following the men’s Asia Cup final in 2025.

As a result, the trophies have remained with the ACC rather than being taken back to India. Reports have stated that the silverware is currently in Dubai. 

BCCI Calls Women’s Team Decision a ‘Firm Institutional Decision’

The BCCI has maintained that the women’s team’s decision was not an individual action by the players.

Saikia had previously said that the board had communicated its position to the ACC before the Women’s Asia Cup final and informed the governing body that India would not participate in the trophy presentation under the circumstances.

According to Saikia, the decision was taken at an institutional level and was connected to the prevailing circumstances between India and Pakistan.

He also stressed that the decision was not directed against the players, the tournament or cricket itself.

The development followed the same approach taken by India’s men’s team during the previous Asia Cup. After beating Pakistan in the 2025 final, the Indian players did not collect the trophy from Naqvi during the delayed presentation ceremony.

India Women’s Team Conducted Its Own Medal Presentation

After India’s victory over Sri Lanka in the Women’s Asia Cup final, the team held a separate presentation inside its own setup.

Fielding coach Munish Bali handed out the team’s best-fielder medal, while BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia and vice-president Rajiv Shukla were involved in the presentation. Nandani Sharma received the fielding medal after taking two important diving catches during the final.

The official presentation ceremony subsequently took place without the Indian players receiving the trophy from Naqvi. 

The Indian women’s team had earlier secured an emphatic 72-run victory over Sri Lanka in the final. India posted 185 for 5 before restricting Sri Lanka to 113, with Shree Charani taking four wickets. 

A Repeat of the 2025 Men’s Asia Cup Episode

The latest controversy has its roots in the men’s Asia Cup final played in Dubai in 2025.

India defeated Pakistan in the final but did not collect the trophy from Naqvi. The presentation ceremony was delayed, and the Indian team did not appear for the trophy presentation. The episode marked an unusual conclusion to India’s title-winning campaign.

The women’s team’s decision a year later therefore represented a continuation of the same institutional position adopted by the BCCI. 

The backdrop to the dispute is the deterioration in India-Pakistan relations following cross-border tensions in 2025. Since then, India-Pakistan cricket encounters have also been accompanied by heightened attention over customary gestures such as handshakes and post-match presentations.

Naqvi’s ACC Presidency Nears Its End

Saikia’s latest comments also come as Naqvi’s current term as ACC president approaches its scheduled conclusion.

Naqvi’s tenure is set to end in April 2027. His position as ACC president has become particularly relevant because he is simultaneously associated with the PCB and Pakistan’s government.

The Asia Cup trophy presentation issue has therefore become a visible point of tension between the BCCI and the ACC during his tenure.

For now, however, the BCCI’s stated position is that the trophies will eventually be brought to its headquarters in Mumbai, even though the board has not disclosed how or when that will happen. 

What Happens to the Trophies Now?

Saikia’s statement indicates that the BCCI considers the matter of the physical trophies separate from India’s decision not to receive them from Naqvi at the presentation ceremonies.

The board has not announced a specific date for their transfer from the ACC to Mumbai. Saikia’s assurance instead suggests that the trophies will ultimately be added to the BCCI’s collection at the Wankhede Stadium headquarters.

The development also means that the controversy surrounding the presentation ceremony does not alter India’s status as the official winners of the two Asia Cup tournaments.

India’s men’s team remain the 2025 Asia Cup champions, while the women’s team are the 2026 Women’s Asia Cup champions. The outstanding issue is the physical possession and presentation of the trophies, rather than the results of the tournaments themselves. 

Asian Games Could Bring Another Presentation Question

The issue has also raised questions about upcoming cricket competitions involving India and Pakistan. Both Indian men’s and women’s teams are expected to compete for medals at the Asian Games.

However, the Asian Games are conducted under a different sporting framework from the Asia Cup, meaning the medal-presentation arrangements are not necessarily the same as those used by the ACC. The Asia Cup situation therefore does not automatically determine how an Asian Games medal ceremony would be conducted.

For the immediate Asia Cup issue, though, Saikia’s message is clear: the BCCI expects both trophies to eventually reach its Mumbai headquarters, but there is currently no publicly announced timeline for their arrival.