The 2025 Asia Cup trophy saga continues to embroil cricket administrators in South Asia, with Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president Mohsin Naqvi refusing to hand over the prestigious trophy to India, despite a formal ultimatum from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). In the latest development, Naqvi, who also serves as the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and is Pakistan’s interior minister, has instructed the BCCI to organize a presentation ceremony in India and send players to collect the trophy directly from him instead of waiting for it to be sent across the border.
The controversy started during the 2025 Asia Cup presentation ceremony on 28 September when India refused to accept the trophy from Naqvi. The rejection came in protest against Naqvi’s provocative social media posts targeting India during the tournament, which coincided with heightened tensions following the Pahalgam terror attack. Indian players, reportedly in solidarity with the victims, avoided contact with their Pakistani counterparts during the tournament and refused to shake hands during matches. After India’s rejection, Naqvi left the ceremony with the trophy in an unprecedented turn of events.
The stalemate over the trophy remains unresolved even after a fresh communication from the BCCI, backed by the Afghanistan and Sri Lankan cricket boards. In response, the ACC issued a detailed letter on behalf of ACC president Mohsin Naqvi outlining his position and rejecting the idea of sending the trophy to India through intermediaries.
The letter acknowledged India’s success in the tournament while affirming the ACC’s neutral stance on political matters:
“At the outset, we must congratulate you and the Indian cricket team for winning the Asia Cup 2025, as the ACC President did earlier in the AGM. The ACC President is extremely grateful and pleased to note the emphasis you have laid in your letter on the long-standing customs, traditions, established practices, cricketing protocols and basic elements of sporting integrity that we have limited used only in the spirit of sporting integrity. by letter, but also vehemently displayed on the pitch.”
However, Naqvi’s letter did not shy away from taking a strong stand against what he described as the politicization of cricket:
“Regarding the rest of your letter, as defamatory as it is and deviating from the same values you have highlighted, the office of the ACC President will not indulge in petty politics aimed at appeasing selected extremist groups. No official communication was ever shared with the ACC office or the tournament director highlighting any position or concern of the BCCI regarding the award ceremony. It should have been only when the award ceremony took place prices. stage which the BCCI representative informed that the Indian cricket team will not receive the Asia Cup trophy and prizes.”
The letter went on to emphasize the ACC’s commitment to maintaining the integrity of the ceremony even though the situation caused the delay:
“The ACC President along with the distinguished guests waited for approximately 40 minutes to ensure that the integrity of the presentation ceremony was maintained and not adversely affected by politics, but in vain. The ACC trophy rightfully belongs to the Indian cricket team and is held in trust until the BCCI office bearer along with any available participating players can collect it from the ACC President. Such a collection would of course be a huge amount of coverage, ensuring that there is no deviation from established practice and no precedent is set that undermines the spirit of the game we all love.”
Naqvi’s release also noted that since the ACC Annual General Meeting (AGM) on September 30, 2025, where the issue of the trophy was discussed in detail, there has been a lot of follow-up with BCCI representatives. BCCI online representatives including Rajeev Shukla and Ashish Shelar represented India at the AGM. Despite detailed discussions, the stalemate persisted.
The Asian trophy remains at the ACC headquarters. Sources close to the matter revealed that before leaving for Pakistan, Naqvi had instructed the ACC staff not to move or hand over the trophy without his express instructions.
– The end
Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
October 21, 2025
