BCCI's Stance on Naqvi Trophy Snub and Kapil Dev's Golf Quip

NEW DELHI: India’s women cricketers walked off with an eighth Asia Cup crown in Dubai on Sunday, but the defining image of the night wasn’t a medal, a lap of honour, or even the 72-run demolition of Sri Lanka.

It was the empty space where a trophy presentation should have been.

The Indian team chose not to receive the Asia Cup trophy from Asian Cricket Council chief Mohsin Naqvi, who also serves as Pakistan’s interior minister and chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board. The players skipped the official ceremony involving Naqvi, turning what should have been a routine handover into the latest flashpoint in an already fraught cricketing relationship.

The stand-off instantly revived memories of the 2025 Asia Cup, when Suryakumar Yadav’s India men’s side had also refused to accept the trophy from Naqvi. Same official, same stage, same refusal — and once again, the fallout has spilled far beyond the boundary.

Kapil Dev cuts through the noise

Asked to weigh in on the controversy, Kapil Dev didn’t reach for a long lecture or a diplomatic line. The World Cup-winning former India captain instead produced a one-liner that cut straight through the clutter.

“Tell all of them to play golf,” he told news agency ANI.

No elaboration. No sermon. Just a sharp, almost dismissive quip from one of Indian cricket’s most respected voices, leaving plenty of room for interpretation — and debate.

BCCI: ‘We had already made our position clear’

While Kapil chose brevity, the Board of Control for Cricket in India moved to spell out its position in detail.

BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia stressed that the decision to avoid the presentation ceremony with Naqvi was not an impulsive protest from the players, but a pre-planned, board-level stance communicated well in advance.

“Winning the trophy is one thing, but winning the tournament is what truly matters,” Saikia told ANI, underlining that the controversy did not originate from the Indian camp on the night.

According to him, the BCCI had already informed the organisers of its discomfort with the proposed format of the prize distribution, citing a precedent from the previous year.

“The issue regarding the trophy, which created a controversy, did not stem from our side. We had already clarified our stance, referencing the situation we faced last year regarding the Asian Games–a matter known to the entire nation,” he said.

The message to the organisers, Saikia explained, was blunt: if the ceremony went ahead in the originally planned manner, India would not participate.

“We maintained our position based on that context. We had stated beforehand that we did not approve the manner in which they had planned the prize distribution ceremony. We informed their chairman that if they proceeded with that specific system, we would not participate. Since they did not agree, we chose not to accept the trophy in that manner; we will collect it later,” he added.

The pressure built around the stage. The organisers held their line. India held theirs. The players walked away.

‘We act as one’

With the spotlight swinging towards the dressing room, Saikia moved quickly to shield the squad from any suggestion of a rogue protest.

“This was entirely the BCCI’s decision,” he said, making it clear that the board, not the players, drove the call. “We had discussed everything internally, and the BCCI’s stance remains consistent with what it was previously.”

He underlined unity across every layer of Indian cricket’s power structure.

“Whether it concerns the players, the team, or the BCCI officials, we are all united; there is no divergence between the players’ decisions and the BCCI’s decisions. We act as one. Whatever decision is taken, we proceed in accordance with the BCCI’s established policies,” Saikia said.

So the scoreboard shows a dominant Indian win and an eighth Women’s Asia Cup title. The photographs, though, show something else: a gleaming trophy waiting on a podium, and a champion team choosing principle over protocol.

The silverware will reach them eventually. The message they sent by refusing to take it from Mohsin Naqvi already has.