‘Trophy chor Naqvi’ chants go viral again after India ditches PCB chief in Dubai
Indian fans at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium were heard chanting “Trophy chor Naqvi” after the Indian team was again denied the Asia Cup trophy despite winning the title on Sunday.
India defeated Sri Lanka in the final of the Women’s Asia Cup in Dubai, but the official presentation of the trophy did not take place after the Indian team refused to accept the silverware from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Mohsin Naqvi.
As Naqvi left the stadium after the presentation ceremony, the Indian crowd could be heard chanting “Trophy chor Naqvi”, with videos of the chants quickly going viral on social media.
The episode brought back memories of the controversy surrounding the men’s Asia Cup final last year, when the Indian men’s team also walked away without receiving the trophy after a stalemate with Naqvi.
Naqvi was present at the Dubai Stadium for Sunday’s final and eventually took to the dais to hand over control at number two to Sri Lankan captain Chamari Athapaththa. However, the Indian players did not attend the official presentation of the trophy due to the presence of Mohsin Naqvi – who is also Pakistan’s interior minister.
The broadcast ended after Athapaththua’s interaction with former Sri Lankan cricketer Farvez Maharoof, with Naqvi later seen leaving the field along with other ACC officials.
WHY DID INDIA REJECT THE TROPHY?
India coach Amol Muzumdar confirmed after the match that the decision not to accept the trophy from Naqvi was taken by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
“This is the stand taken by the BCCI and we stand by it. This tournament is over for us. We are the champions. That’s good enough. It was on the big board where India were the 2026 Asia Cup champions. This tournament is officially over for us,” Muzumdar said.
The Indian coach also admitted that he did not know when and how the team would finally receive the Asia Cup trophy.
BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia later provided more details on the discussions surrounding the presentation.
According to Saikia, the Indian team made it clear from the beginning that they would not take the trophy from Naqvi. The BCCI then proposed alternative measures to ensure that the champions could still receive silverware.
“The BCCI has offered Naqvi that the Asia Cup trophy will be handed over to the Indian team by ACC vice-chairman Khalid Al Zarooni,” Saikia said. “Of course he refused.
The BCCI then suggested another option, based on the recent practice of giving the trophy to the representative from the board who wins the tournament.
“As per the recent norm, the board representative who wins the tournament may be allowed to hand over the trophy,” Saikia said.
However, neither side agreed with the other’s position.
“Naqvi remained adamant and the Indian team also refused to back down and refused to accept the trophy,” Saikia said.
The stalemate meant that India celebrated their title without receiving the trophy during the official presentation ceremony.
SIMILAR CONTROLLER IN 2025
The latest incident comes almost exactly a year after a similar controversy involving the Indian men’s team at the 2025 Asia Cup.
India defeated Pakistan to win the tournament, but the team was kept waiting for over an hour before the trophy presentation could take place. Due to strained relations between India and Pakistan, the Indian side has reportedly requested that an Emirates Cricket Board official present the trophy instead of Naqvi.
Naqvi rejected this request and claimed that the Indian captain would have to collect the trophy from him.
The stalemate eventually resulted in an unusual end to the ceremony where an ACC official was seen taking away the trophy while the Indian players waited to take the podium.
In the end, the Indian team walked away without receiving silverware, although the players celebrated their title in front of the cameras and posed as if they were lifting the trophy.
The women’s team’s decision on Sunday has now brought the Naqvi trophy controversy back into the limelight, with Indian fans once again making their feelings known at the Dubai Stadium.
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Issued by:
Kingshuk Kusari
Published on:
14 Sep 2026 09:56 IST