The Asia Cup 2025 ended in a shocking twist when India, after defeating Pakistan in the final on Sunday, did not receive the trophy or the individual medals. After India’s stupendous victory, the team refused to accept the trophy from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president Mohsin Naqvi, who also heads the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and serves as Pakistan’s Interior Minister. Naqvi insisted on presenting the trophy, which caused the ceremony to be delayed for more than an hour before it concluded without any trophy handover.
Here’s how the drama unfolded:
Trouble signs appeared soon after the match ended
Signs of trouble appeared soon after the match ended. About 20 minutes passed after Rinku Singh scored the winning runs and the stage was set up, but the ceremony did not begin. Pakistan’s players had already gone back to their dressing room, while the Indian team waited on one side of the ground. Meanwhile, officials rushed around trying to sort things out. The umpires and match referee also stepped in to negotiate, but no solution was reached.
The long delay led to boos from the crowd. By then, many seats were empty, with only a few Indian fans still in the stands. On television, commentator Ravi Shastri called it unfair that the players had to wait nearly 45 minutes for the presentation after the match.
Team India’s refuses to accept Asia Cup 2025 trophy
The Indian team was reportedly open to receiving the trophy from Emirates Cricket Board Vice Chairman Khalid Al Zarooni, but Naqvi rejected that option. As the standoff continued, officials eventually removed the trophy from the ground.
India’s players walked onto the stage at the Dubai International Stadium, only to collect individual awards from other guests. After that, they quickly left the venue.
Why did India refuse to take the trophy from Naqvi?
The Indian Express, citing sources, reported that the main reason the Indian players refused to take the trophy from Mohsin Naqvi was his activity on social media. Naqvi, post the match, had reposted images on X (formerly Twitter), including one titled “Final Day” that showed Pakistan players like captain Salman Agha and fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi in flight suits with fighter jets in the background. Earlier in the tournament, he had also shared a picture of Cristiano Ronaldo with a crashing plane.
Naqvi tells ACC to remove Asia Cup 2025 trophy
When neither side backed down, Mohsin Naqvi left the stage and told the ACC officials to remove both the winners’ trophy and the medals.
An ACC official was seen carrying the trophy out of the ground while the Indian players waited for the presentation ceremony to finish. After the dignitaries left, the Indian team went up on the stage and celebrated their win with a mock trophy. Many players later shared photos on Instagram, using trophy emojis to mark their victory.
BCCI slams Naqvi’s ‘unsportsman like’ attitude
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia later criticised Naqvi’s actions, calling them unsportsmanlike and mocking him in a post-match interview. He said Naqvi had no right to walk away with the trophy and expressed hope that they would be returned to India soon.
“There is an ICC conference scheduled in Dubai this November, and at that conference, we will launch a very serious and strong protest against the actions of the ACC chairman,” Saikia said.
He questioned the decision to let a Pakistani leader present the trophy, stressing that India could not accept an award from someone representing a country with which it has strained relations.
“We cannot accept a trophy from someone who represents a nation currently at odds with ours. That was our stance. But that does not mean the gentleman is entitled to walk away with the trophy and medals meant for our team and take them to his hotel room. That is completely unacceptable. We hope he reconsiders, and we will be registering a strong protest against his behaviour during today’s prize distribution ceremony,” he said.
The BCCI is now expected to file a formal complaint with the ICC. This would not be the first time, as the ICC has already pulled up players from both sides during this Asia Cup for conduct and gestures that went against the spirit of the game.
‘A champion team was denied a trophy’: Suryakumar Yadav expresses shock after trophy fiasco
At the post-match press conference, Suryakumar Yadav said that the Indian team was “denied” the Asia Cup trophy.
“This is something I have never seen in all my years of playing and following cricket. A champion team was denied a trophy, and it was a hard-earned one. It was not easy. We played two strong games on back-to-back days. I felt we truly deserved it. I do not want to say much more,” Suryakumar told the media at the post-match press conference.
He added that the winning trophies was not what mattered most to him, as he already had many in his career. For him, the true reward was the players and support staff who stood together throughout the Asia Cup. He said those memories were far more valuable and ones he would always carry with him.