The 2025 Asia Cup was more than just cricket matches between India and Pakistan, it became a mirror of strained political ties between the two nations, off the field and on the field. The post-match presentation at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium also saw dramatic turn of events
The Asia Cup 2025 final between India and Pakistan ended in high drama—both on the field and off it. India held its nerve in a tense finish to clinch the Asia Cup for a record ninth time, defeating arch-rival Pakistan by five wickets in Sunday’s final with two balls to spare. But the dramatic on-field triumph was followed by another controversy off the field—the Indian team declined to accept the trophy and winners’ medals from Mohsin Naqvi, who heads both the Pakistan Cricket Board and the Asian Cricket Council and also serves as Pakistan’s Interior Minister.
As a result, the tournament concluded without the traditional trophy presentation.
Led by captain Salman Agha, Pakistan’s team arrived late. Further delays followed after India refused to take the trophy from Naqvi. The presentation ceremony, normally a moment of pride and joy, turned chaotic when the Indian players declined to accept the trophy and medals from Mohsin Naqvi, the Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, head of the Asian Cricket Council, and Pakistan’s Interior Minister.
Naqvi then reportedly walked away from the stage carrying the trophy and medals, leaving the Indian team without any presentations to mark their triumph. This unusual act drew sharp criticism from India’s cricket board, which called it unacceptable and disrespectful to the players who had fought hard for the win.
For captain Suryakumar Yadav and his team, the night’s true glory lay not in the missing trophy but in the unity and spirit they carried back into the dressing room.
India’s Twenty20 captain Yadav later voiced his disappointment, claiming that his side was denied the chance to lift the 2025 Asia Cup trophy despite their hard-fought win. “This is something I have never witnessed in all my years of playing and following cricket – a champion team being denied its trophy, and one that was so hard-earned,” Yadav said at the press conference. “We truly deserved it. I can’t say anything more.”
On a reflective note, he added: “For me, the real trophies are sitting in the dressing room – all 14 players and the support staff who stood together throughout this Asia Cup journey.”
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Devajit Saikia slammed Naqvi for leaving the stadium with the trophy and the medals, explaining why India refused to accept the trophy from the Pakistan Cricket Board head. “India is fighting a war with a country and a leader belonging to that country was supposed to hand over the trophy to us. We cannot accept a trophy from someone who represents a country that is waging a war against our country. It does not mean that the gentleman will take the trophy and the medals, which are to be given to our country, to his own hotel room,” he was quoted as saying
Some reports pegged it as “Naqvi running away” with the trophy meant for India
