India decline to receive the Asia Cup trophy from ACC chief Mohsin Naqvi

India decline to receive the Asia Cup trophy from ACC chief Mohsin Naqvi

Asia Cup 2025: After a dramatic Asia Cup 2025 final that saw India chase down a 147-run target against Pakistan with two balls to spare, more drama followed as the Suryakumar Yadav-led side was not awarded the trophy.

In a dramatic and unexpected turn of events, India won the Asia Cup 2025 final against Pakistan in Dubai but chose not to accept the trophy from Mohsin Naqvi, who is the president of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), and Pakistan’s Interior Minister. Naqvi insisted on presenting the trophy himself, but India declined, leading to a standoff that ended with no official trophy handover.

The post-match presentation was delayed by over 90 minutes after Rinku Singh sealed the win with the final runs. The delay was caused by India’s refusal to receive the trophy from Naqvi, while Naqvi refused to let anyone else present it. Before the broadcast began, the trophy had already been removed from the ground.

While individual awards were handed out Tilak Varma, Kuldeep Yadav, and Abhishek Sharma received their accolades from sponsors the Indian team did not collect their winners’ medals or the trophy. Pakistan, meanwhile, quietly accepted their runners-up medals from Bangladesh Cricket Board president Aminul Islam and returned to their dressing room.

The confusion started when Pakistan’s players and staff went straight indoors after the match, skipping their scheduled press conference. With Pakistan off the field and the standoff between India and Naqvi still unresolved, the entire presentation party including Naqvi waited on the dais for over 35 minutes. During this time, Naqvi was seen making several animated phone calls.

Officials from the Emirates Cricket Board and BCB reportedly offered to present the trophy to India, and India agreed. But Naqvi refused to step aside, insisting that only he would do the honours. As a result, the trophy was never presented.

Pakistan’s team eventually returned to the field after an hour, greeted by loud boos from the mostly Indian crowd. The presentation ceremony dragged on, with players from both sides left waiting.

India captain Suryakumar Yadav did not speak during the presentation. Broadcaster Simon Doull announced, “I have been informed by the Asian Cricket Council that the Indian cricket team will not be collecting their awards tonight. So that does conclude the post-match presentation,” after interviewing Tilak Varma (Player of the Match), Salman Ali Agha (Pakistan captain), and Abhishek Sharma (Player of the Tournament).

After the ceremony ended and Naqvi left, the “champions” signage was briefly brought out for India’s photo-op but was quickly removed. The Indian players improvised—posing on the dais, climbing onto it, and celebrating with fireworks and confetti. Suryakumar, smiling, mimed lifting an imaginary trophy as his teammates cheered around him. It was a surreal end to a tournament India had dominated from start to finish.

In the post-match press conference, Suryakumar expressed his disappointment. “I’ve never seen this in cricket a champion team denied a trophy. We earned it the hard way. We’ve been here since September 4, played tough matches, and deserved that moment.”

He added, “If you ask me about trophies, my real trophies are in the dressing room the 14 players and support staff who’ve been with me through this journey. Those are the memories I’ll carry forever.”

Soon after the win, the BCCI announced a ₹21 crore reward for the players and support staff.

Pakistan captain Salman Agha spoke to the media later than usual over two hours after the match, long after the team bus had left. He said, “If the ACC has a president, it’s his job to give the trophy. If you won’t take it from him, how else will you get it?”

Despite the unusual ending, India’s dominant performance throughout the tournament left no doubt about their title. But the night will be remembered as much for the off-field drama as for the cricket itself.