Asia Cup Final: Will India's Women Accept the Trophy from PCB's Naqvi?

The Asia Cup trophy is back at the centre of a storm. This time, it’s the Indian women’s team walking straight into the eye of it.

According to a Geo Super report, PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi is set to attend the Women’s Asia Cup final on September 13 as the chief guest for the closing ceremony. That means one image could define the night: Naqvi on the podium, trophy in hand, waiting to see if India will take it.

A familiar script, a new cast

The tension isn’t new. The faces are.

Last year, India’s men beat Pakistan in the Asia Cup final and then refused to accept the trophy from Naqvi. What should have been a routine post-match ceremony turned into an awkward standoff that dragged on for more than an hour. Cameras lingered. Players milled around. Officials scrambled.

Naqvi still walked out for the presentation as ACC President. India stood firm. The then Suryakumar Yadav-led side celebrated on the podium without ever touching the silverware. The trophy, officially India’s, never made it to their dressing room. It remains in the ACC office in Dubai, a title without a home and a symbol of a broken relationship.

That backdrop now hangs over the women’s final.

Harmanpreet’s India in the spotlight

Harmanpreet Kaur’s side has been ruthless in this tournament. Four games, four wins, not a single slip.

They opened their campaign by brushing aside Thailand, then overwhelmed Hong Kong, and saved their sharpest edge for Pakistan. In Dubai, India bundled out the Fatima Sana-led side for just 55 and chased it down with seven wickets in hand, a statement win wrapped in barely disguised authority.

They have already sealed their place in the semi-finals without dropping a match. On form, they are favourites to go all the way. On paper, they should be lifting that trophy.

But who hands it to them – and whether they take it – could overshadow everything.

As of now, the BCCI has kept its counsel. No public word on what the women’s team will do if they win the Asia Cup and Naqvi stands on that podium again, trophy ready. No indication of whether last year’s stance will carry over, or whether this group will be allowed to make its own call in the moment.

More than just a presentation

The subplot runs deeper than a handshake and a photo-op. Nasser Hussain recently tore into the PCB and Naqvi’s administration, accusing them of worsening Pakistan’s situation and turning the board into a “laughingstock”. That criticism sharpened the political and cricketing edges around Naqvi’s appearances at high-profile events.

Now, his presence at the Women’s Asia Cup final adds another layer. For India’s players, the night should be about a regional title, a dominant campaign, and a team hitting its stride in a crucial phase of the women’s game. For Smriti Mandhana, it already carries personal history: she became the leading run-scorer in women’s internationals during this tournament, overtaking the great Mithali Raj. It is a landmark that deserves its own stage.

Instead, everyone knows the closing ceremony could once again become theatre.

Will Harmanpreet’s India walk up, smile, and accept the silverware from Naqvi, drawing a line under last year’s standoff? Or will the women’s team echo the men, celebrate without the trophy, and leave another Asia Cup locked away in an office in Dubai?

The cricket has been emphatic. The politics around the podium might be even louder when the final ball is bowled.