India Refuses Asia Cup 2025 Trophy in Protest Against ACC Chairman Mohsin Naqvi

At the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday, India clinched the Asia Cup 2025 title with a decisive victory over Pakistan—but their post-match celebrations carried a striking absence.

The traditional trophy lift was missing, as the Indian team refused to accept the winner’s trophy from Mohsin Naqvi, who currently serves as Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chairman, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief, and Pakistan’s interior minister.

The decision, unprecedented in the tournament’s history, was a clear political statement. Instead of raising the silverware, captain Suryakumar Yadav and his teammates celebrated with an “imaginary trophy,” with Yadav even mimicking Rohit Sharma’s iconic lift from past tournaments.

Speaking to reporters after the match, Yadav said:

“We as a team decided not to take the trophy (from Mohsin Naqvi). Nobody told us to do so. But I feel a team that wins the tournament deserves the trophy.”

According to officials, the Indian side was prepared to accept the trophy from any other dignitary present, but not from Naqvi. The boycott follows weeks of escalating tensions, with Naqvi making provocative remarks and pushing the ICC to penalise Yadav for his public support of the Indian Army and victims of the Pahalgam terror attack. Throughout the tournament, Team India also observed a no-handshake policy with Pakistan.

Trophy Row Sparks Uproar

The standoff escalated when Naqvi, snubbed on stage, stormed out of the stadium with both the trophy and the medals meant for Indian players. Videos circulated widely on social media showed him departing with ACC officials carrying the silverware.

BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia confirmed that the decision was neither impulsive nor symbolic, but a deliberate stance:

“We had already communicated that we would not accept the Asia Cup trophy from Mr. Mohsin Naqvi, because he is not just the ACC chairman but also a senior leader from Pakistan. For us, it is not possible to take an award from someone who represents a country openly hostile and waging war against India.”

Saikia added that the players were ready to accept the trophy if presented by a neutral official, but once it became clear that Naqvi would handle the ceremony, the team unanimously refused. He also criticised Naqvi for walking away with the medals:

“That is completely against sporting spirit and against ACC protocol. We hope good sense will prevail, and that the trophy and medals will be handed over to us in due course.”

Political Undertones

The gesture, sources say, reflects India’s rejection of Pakistan’s alleged disinformation campaigns, which Naqvi has amplified in recent weeks. By refusing to accept the trophy from him, India sought to send two messages: first, that it will not allow sport to be used as a vehicle for political propaganda; and second, that symbolic gestures cannot override deep security and diplomatic concerns.

Naqvi, meanwhile, accused India of “dragging war into cricket” and claimed the boycott was a disgrace to the spirit of the game. Reposting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s congratulatory message to Team India, he wrote:

“If war was your measure of pride, history already records your humiliating defeats at Pakistan’s hands. No cricket match can rewrite that truth. Dragging war into sport only exposes desperation and disgraces the very spirit of the game.”

Despite the controversy, India’s celebrations continued off the field, with Hardik Pandya humorously editing a trophy into his social media post and Shubman Gill sharing a photograph of himself and opening partner Abhishek Sharma with a digitally inserted “virtual trophy.”

The episode has now snowballed into a diplomatic flashpoint, underscoring how cricket between India and Pakistan remains inseparable from politics—and how the Asia Cup 2025 final will be remembered as much for its off-field drama as for the cricket itself.