The Asia Cup 2025 concluded with India holding the trophy on the field but off the field, a greater battle was only beginning. There was a shocking turn of events that overshadowed their five-wicket victory against Pakistan in the final at the Dubai International Stadium. The ACC Chairman Mohsin Naqvi stole the trophy and went back when India refused to take it from him.
Under ACC protocol, the championship trophy would be dispatched to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) office in Mumbai. But with Naqvi Pakistan's Interior Minister and head of PCB left the ground with the trophy in hand, due to which doubts arise as to when India will actually get their silverware.
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Cricbuzz reports that Naqvi was ready to award medals to the Indian cricketers, but on condition that a ceremonial function be organized one where he could be the center of attention. That's not a likely prospect, given the tensions that persist and no such event is on the cards.
The controversy stems from Naqvi’s repeated anti-India statements and provocative posts during the tournament, which led the Indian team in coordination with the BCCI to decide they would not participate in any ceremony involving him. The friction reached its peak post-final, with the presentation delayed for 45 minutes. While a few individual awards were distributed to players such as Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, and Kuldeep Yadav, there was no mass moment of triumph for the champions.
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Pakistan players were awarded their medals and runners-up cheques, but India's snub of Naqvi was a rare and public standoff. With no settlement on the horizon, what could have been India's moment of glory now hangs in diplomatic limbo and the Asia Cup trophy still far out of their reach.