Naqvi 'suggests' presenting Asia Cup trophy to India in Dubai ceremony

Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi has suggested a ceremony to hand over the Asia Cup 2025 trophy to India, following their title win last month.

The Indian team, acting on instructions from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), refused to accept the trophy from Naqvi, following their victory over Pakistan in the final on September 29.

The BCCI has since written a formal letter to the ACC chairman, requesting that the trophy be handed over to them.

In his response, the ACC chairman reportedly asked the BCCI to send an Indian player to attend a ceremony and collect the trophy from him.

The sources said that Naqvi remained firm on his stance that he would present the silverware during the ceremony.

The ACC has also proposed holding the ceremony on November 10 in Dubai, they added.

The development comes a month after the Indian team received backlash for consistently making political statements during last month's Asia Cup.

Pundits slammed Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav for refusing the customary handshake with Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha at the toss for their game on September 14.

In the following two games, including the final, the two sides skipped handshakes and also stayed in separate huddles during the post-match ceremonies.

Following the final, BCCI officials said that they refused to collect the trophy because Naqvi was a minister in the federal government of Pakistan.

However, the ACC chairman stood firm on his decision to present the trophy himself, leading to a delay of around 90 minutes in the post-match ceremony.

With both sides refusing to back down from their positions, the ceremony concluded without the trophy being presented to the winners.

Resultantly, the organisers then took the silverware away and returned it to the ACC office.

India had defeated Pakistan by five wickets in the Asia Cup 2025 final after restricting them to 146 runs in 19.1 overs despite Sahibzada Farhan’s valiant half-century.

The Men in Blue chased down the 147-run target in 19.4 overs, losing five wickets in the process to claim the continental title.