BCCI, Naqvi clash as ICC showdown looms

Trophy dispute reignites tensions ahead of ICC board meeting

The political and sporting fallout from last month’s Asia Cup final continues to escalate. The standoff, which began after India’s decision to skip the post-match presentation in Dubai, is now set to spill into the upcoming ICC board meeting.

India won the 2025 Asia Cup in September but declined to accept the trophy on stage, reportedly objecting to Naqvi being the one to present it. The trophy has since remained under ACC custody in Dubai.

The BCCI wrote a letter to the ACC recently that read in part: ““BCCI therefore demands immediate handover of the Asia Cup 2025 trophy and medals to the Indian team/BCCI and a written explanation setting out how and why the awards were withheld at the venue, and on what authority the ACC President took possession of them.”

According to multiple reports, Naqvi responded to the formal letter from the BCCI — which was backed by the Sri Lankan and Afghan cricket boards — with a strongly worded reply that has only intensified the divide.

In his letter, Naqvi insisted that the presentation must follow traditional protocol and that the Indian side should collect the trophy from him in person.

“The ACC trophy rightly belongs to the Indian cricket team and is being held in trust till such time that a BCCI office holder along with any available participating player can collect the same from the ACC President,” Naqvi stated in his letter.

“Such collection would of course be accompanied with much fanfare and coverage as there should be no deviation from established practices and no precedent should be set which undermines the spirit of the game we all love,” Naqvi wrote.

Naqvi proposed a ceremonial handover in Dubai on November 10, inviting a BCCI representative and a player to attend.

Naqvi pushes back on BCCI’s accusations and timeline claims

The BCCI’s original letter criticized the presentation ceremony’s execution and questioned Naqvi’s role in the handover. But Naqvi’s written response pushed back hard, calling the accusations politically motivated.

“…as regards the remainder of your letter, slanderous as it may be and digressing as it does from the same values you highlighted, the office of the ACC President will not indulge in petty politics that is aimed to pacify select extremist groups,” he emphasized.

He also denied that the ACC or tournament organizers received any prior notice of India’s refusal to accept the trophy, stating that the communication came at the last minute.

“The true state of affairs is that there was never any official communication shared with ACC office or the Tournament Director highlighting any position or concern of the BCCI with respect to prize distribution ceremony,” Naqvi continued.

“It was only when the ceremony was about to take place and distinguished guests had taken their place on the stage that the BCCI’s representative conveyed that the Indian Cricket Team would not be receiving the Asia Cup Trophy and awards,” Naqvi wrote.

According to Naqvi, the delay caused by this unexpected development disrupted the ceremony.

“The ACC president waited along with the distinguished guests for approximately 40 minutes to ensure that the integrity of the presentation ceremony was preserved and was not adversely affected by politics, but in vain,” he reiterated in his letter.

BCCI expected to take matter to ICC as pressure builds

The Indian board, has made its position clear: it will not collect the trophy from Naqvi. According to an ACC source quoted by Press Trust of India:

“The BCCI secretary (Devajit Saikia), BCCI’s ACC representative Rajeev Shukla, and representatives of other member boards, including Sri Lanka Cricket and Afghanistan, had written to the ACC president last week over handing the trophy to India.”

But Naqvi reportedly stood firm, responding with the same offer to collect the trophy in Dubai.

“But his response was that someone from BCCI should come to Dubai and take the trophy from him. So that matter has still not moved. BCCI has made its stance clear that it won’t be receiving the trophy from him. So the matter will most likely be decided in the ICC meeting,” the same ACC source added.

With no compromise in sight, the issue is now expected to be formally raised at the ICC’s upcoming board meeting, setting the stage for an unprecedented governance-level confrontation over a post-match ceremony.

The Asia Cup trophy, for now, remains untouched at ACC headquarters in Dubai — a symbol of both India’s triumph and the deepening divisions in Asian cricket

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