It seems the Indian cricket teams will have to wait at least until April 2027 to actually hold another Asia Cup trophy.
The hope is that Pakistan's Mohsin Naqvi, the current president of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), will be out of office by then.
India have yet to collect the men's Asia Cup won last September and the women's title secured this Sunday.
Harmanpreet Kaur's India had clinched their fourth Asia Cup title with a convincing 72-run win over Sri Lanka in Dubai. Suryakumar Yadav's Men in Blue had recorded a five-wicket win over arch-rivals Pakistan in the final, also played in Dubai.
Naqvi's insistence to hand over the trophies himself, and the BCCI's (Board of Control for Cricket in India) refusal to accept it from him has deprived the Indian teams of their right to celebrate with the silverware.
Last year, Suryakumar did an invisible trophy celebration with his teammates after snubbing Naqvi. On Sunday, skipper Harman waited out almost an hour for the ACC to have a change of mind, which never happened.
BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia said they had informed the ACC that the team would accept the trophy from other office bearers, possibly Khalid Al Zarooni, the Council's Vice President from the UAE.
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The BCCI, however, don't seem to be in a hurry to collect the trophies. Secretary Saikia causally remarked that they would get it later. "Baad me le lenge," he said.
The diplomatic tension between India and Pakistan that almost always spills over to the cricket pitch means neither the BCCI nor Naqvi, a former Interior Minister in Islamabad, is likely to relent.
India and Pakistan no longer play bilateral series and only compete against each other in tournaments held on neutral grounds. The last Asia Cup was held within months of the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, reportedly carried out by Pakistan-based terrorists, that left 26 dead.
The next Asia Cup is due in June and the expectation is that there will be a change of leadership at the ACC. The Council's presidency is traditionally decided on a rotational basis, and Naqvi, who has held the position since April 2025, could be succeeded by a representative from either Sri Lanka or Bangladesh.
Compiled by Arun George
