No timeline but Asia Cup trophies will be in India one day: Devajit Saikia

The two Asia Cup trophies won by India last year remain off the country’s cricket board, but the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is confident they will eventually find their way back to Mumbai.

BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia stopped short of giving a date for their return, saying the board was not working with a specific timeline. His assurance came after the Indian men’s and women’s teams refused to collect their trophies from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president Mohsin Naqvi.

“The Asia Cup trophies, we hope they will come one day. I won’t give you a timeline but I can assure you that both the trophies will land in this BCCI office at the Wankhede Stadium,” Saikia told reporters after the board’s 95th Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Mumbai on Friday.

The Indian men’s team lifted the T20 Asia Cup in DubaiI beat Pakistan in the final last year. The the women’s team followed up that success by defeating Sri Lanka earlier this month to win the Women’s Asian Cup.

However, neither winning side received the trophy from Naqvi during the presentations. This was due to increased political tension between the two nations. The issue has gained further attention as Naqvi is not only the ACC chief but also Pakistan’s interior minister.

The trophies have since remained under negotiation, with the BCCI secretary now making it clear that the board expects both to eventually be housed at its headquarters in Mumbai.

RANCHI STILL TO HOST BGT TEST

Saikia also dismissed reports that the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test scheduled for Ranchi might be shifted to another venue.

The Test is scheduled for February 19-23, but reports suggested that the Indian team management was not interested in playing the match in Ranchi.

“Six months are left. We will take a call after a few days. So far we have not received any such requests to change the venue of the Ranchi Test,” Saikia said.

WOMEN AIM FOR ASIAN GAMES GOLD

Saikia also turned his attention to India’s ongoing Asian Games campaign, backing the women’s team to add another major title to its recent success.

The team opened their campaign in Japan with a quarterfinal win over Japan on Friday. This result came shortly after their Asia Cup triumph, giving India another opportunity to challenge for a big piece of silverware.

Congratulating the players for their recent success in Dubai, Saikia said the BCCI was hopeful that the team could finish the Asian Games campaign with a gold medal.

“Congratulations to our women’s team for their great win in Dubai last week. They won the first match very nicely against Japan and we hope they will win the gold medal at the Asian Games on the 22nd of this month,” he said.

The BCCI is now focused on the Asian Games campaign in India, while the question of when the two Asia Cup trophies will finally return to its office remains open.

– The end

Issued by:

Amar Panicker

Published on:

18 Sep 2026 20:10 IST