Dubai – India is escalating the controversy following the Asia Cup 2025 final presentation ceremony, deciding to take the winner’s trophy dispute to the International Cricket Council (ICC). The Indian team, after defeating Pakistan by five wickets in Dubai on Sunday, refused to collect the trophy from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) President Mohsin Naqvi.
The move was reportedly made on the directives of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). However, Naqvi—who also serves as the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)—stood firm on his decision to present the trophy in his capacity as the ACC president.
BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia confirmed the decision to Indian media outlets. “We decided not to take the trophy from the ACC chairman, who happens to be one of the main leaders of Pakistan,” Saikia was quoted as saying.
The dispute led to a brief delay in the presentation ceremony, which saw Pakistan players collecting their medals as the runners-up. Presenter Simon Doull later confirmed the abrupt conclusion of the post-match ceremony without the winning team receiving the silverware. “I have been informed by the ACC that the Indian cricket team will not be collecting their awards tonight. So that does conclude the post-match presentation,” Doull informed.
Subsequently, the organizers took the Asia Cup trophy with them, leaving the Indian team unable to lift the title. India players Tilak Varma, Abhishek Sharma, and Kuldeep Yadav did, however, turn up to accept their individual performance awards.
Escalating Political Interference
Naqvi’s insistence on presenting the trophy came despite recent actions by the Indian team that critics suggest are dragging politics into the game. Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav notably refused a customary handshake with Pakistan’s Salman Ali Agha in their group stage game, an act repeated in their following two matches and widely condemned by pundits.
The BCCI secretary has now confirmed plans to file a formal complaint against Naqvi over the trophy row during the next meeting of the ICC, which is scheduled for November.
Saikia’s rhetoric echoed that of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had equated the cricket victory to “Operation Sindoor,” the name given to India’s series of military strikes in Pakistan. Modi wrote in a post on X following the final: “#OperationSindoor on the games field. Outcome is the same – India wins! Congrats to our cricketers.”
Adamant on introducing a military and political context to the sport, Saikia stated that the Indian “armed forces delivered in the border area. Now the same thing has been repeated in Dubai.”
