Mohsin Naqvi to miss India-Pakistan Asian Games gold clash due to ‘prior commitments’, ACC confirms

Indian Men’s Cricket Team and Mohsin Naqvi Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president Mohsin Naqvi will not attend the Asian Games gold medal match between India and Pakistan in Nisshin, Japan on Saturday.ACC confirmed that Naqvi will miss the final at Korogi Park due to “prior commitments”. India and Pakistan will clash for the gold medal after Sri Lanka and Bangladesh play the bronze medal match.“ACC President Mohsin Naqvi will miss Finals Day at the 2026 Asian Games due to prior commitments, but sends his best wishes to all four teams ahead of the gold and bronze medal matches,” the ACC’s official media account posted on its “X” handle.Naqvi is the Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and also the Interior Minister of Pakistan.The Indian men’s and women’s cricket teams refused to accept the Asia Cup trophies from Naqvi. The teams also extended their support to the armed forces involved in ‘Operation Sindoor’ after innocent civilians were killed in the Pahalgam terror attack last year.“I wish all the participants the best ahead of the gold and bronze games at the 2026 Asian Games. Commitments will keep me away from Nagoya. But I will be looking forward to some exciting action,” Naqvi said in the ACC post.BCCI says Indian teams will not receive trophies from Naqvi. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s home minister has said that if India wants the Asia Cup trophies, they will have to collect them from him.During the 2025 men’s Asia Cup and this year’s women’s edition, the Indian teams did not collect the trophy from Naqvi.There were also questions about what would happen if Naqvi, as the head of the continental cricket body, had to present the medals at the Asian Games ceremony. His absence from the final means the Olympic Council of Asia, local organizers and the Indian Olympic Association will not have to deal with the situation.