Mohsin Naqvi refuses to give Asia Cup trophy, asks India captain to collect it in person: Report

Pakistan Cricket Board chief Mohsin Naqvi has refused to hand over the Asia Cup trophy to India. Instead, the PCB head, who also oversees the Asian Cricket Council, has directed India captain Suryakumar Yadav to collect the trophy in person from the ACC office, reported Pakistani media channel Geo Super on Tuesday, September 30.

Chaos ensued at the Asia Cup Final on Sunday after Mohsin Naqvi-led ACC ran away with the Asia Cup trophy and medals. The Indian cricket team, who had beaten Pakistan fair and square, were left standing for more than an hour waiting to be called on stage.

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The Indian team had stated that they would not take the trophy from Mohsin Naqvi amidst India's troubled geopolitical relationship with Pakistan and had requested for the trophy to be handed over by the vice chairman of the Emirates Cricket Board.

However, Naqvi denied the request and stayed firm on his stance that India will have to receive the trophy from him. Crazy scenes followed when one of the ACC officials was seen taking the trophy off the ground as the Indian team waited to get on the podium.

Late on the same night, Indian Cricket Board secretary Devajit Saikia slammed Naqvi for his acts.

"We have decided not to accept the Asia Cup 2025 trophy from the ACC chairman, who happens to be one of the senior leaders of Pakistan. That was a conscious decision," Saikia said.

"This does not give him the right to take the trophy and the medals with him. It is extremely unfortunate and unsportsmanlike. We hope the trophy and medals will be returned to India as soon as possible," he stated.

Mohsin Naqvi Rejects BCCI's Demand: Report

On Tuesday, two days after the final of the Asia Cup, Pakistani media reported that Mohsin Naqvi had rejected BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla’s repeated demand to hand over the Asia Cup 2025 trophy, asserting that the silverware should be collected by the Indian skipper in person.

The matter came up during a routine ACC meeting in Dubai, chaired by Naqvi, where Shukla repeatedly pressed for the trophy handover. Naqvi, however, responded that the issue was not part of the meeting’s agenda. After further insistence, he remarked that if the Indian team wanted the trophy, its captain should visit the ACC office personally to receive it.

Pakistan media channel Geo Super reported that no decision was taken on whether the trophy will be handed over to the Indian side.

According to sources close to regional cricket bodies, BCCI officials — who attended the meeting virtually — reacted sharply to Naqvi’s stance, demanding instead that the trophy be transferred to the International Cricket Council (ICC) headquarters.

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The ACC chief directing Suryakumar Yadav to collect the trophy is one of the many power games that has been played in the Asia Cup. After India snubbed the handshake in their first match against Pakistan, Naqvi threatened to pull his team out of the tournament.

It is unlikely that any representative from India will go to the ACC office to collect the trophy and the medals, given they had refused the same during the Asia Cup presentation ceremony itself. The BCCI is expected to lodge an official complaint to the ICC in their next meeting with the world body.

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