The Indian Women’s Cricket Team secured a 72-run victory over defending champions Sri Lanka to claim the Women’s T20 Asia Cup title in Dubai, but sparked post-match diplomatic controversy after declining to accept the championship trophy from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) President Mohsin Naqvi.
Batting first after winning the toss, India posted 183 for 5 in their allotted 20 overs, driven by a 129-run opening partnership between Shafali Verma (68) and Smriti Mandhana (59). In response, Sri Lanka was bowled out for 111 runs in the 20th over. Indian bowlers Shree Charani and Deepti Sharma led the attack, taking four and three wickets respectively.
Following the match, an administrative standoff emerged during the official presentation ceremony. ACC President and PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi presented the runners-up award to Sri Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu, but the Indian squad abstained from receiving the winners’ trophy directly from him, citing official protocol stances established by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Indian Head Coach Amol Muzumdar confirmed that the team stood by the board’s decision regarding trophy presentation protocols.
