Highlights – Team India refused to accept the trophy from Mohsin Naqvi, with chants of “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” echoing throughout the stadium. Even before Team India reached the final, there was some question about whether they would accept the trophy from Mohsin Naqvi if they won the title. Besides being the president of the Pakistan Cricket Board, Naqvi is also the president of the Asian Cricket Council and a minister in the Pakistani government.
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Asia Cup Presentation Ceremony: The Asia Cup 2025 clash between India and Pakistan began with controversy and ended with chaos. The controversy, which began with the refusal to shake hands during their first group stage match, continued with the drama surrounding the presentation ceremony after India’s victory in the final. In the final match played in Dubai, Team India defeated Pakistan by 5 wickets in a thrilling contest. However, Team India had to wait a long time to lift the trophy, thanks to Pakistan Cricket Board President Mohsin Naqvi, from whom Team India refused to accept the trophy.
Tensions between the two countries had been high since the war between India and Pakistan. The Asia Cup tournament, played at this time, was expected to be tense, and that’s exactly what happened. While the controversy surrounding the refusal to shake hands in the group stage erupted, the Pakistani board created a ruckus over the removal of match referee Andy Pycroft and even threatened to withdraw from the tournament. Since then, claims have been made that if Team India wins the final, they will not accept the trophy from Mohsin Naqvi, who is the President of the Asian Cricket Council.
Why did Team India refuse to accept the trophy?
After Team India’s victory in the final on Sunday, September 28th, this is exactly what happened. Team India won the final at exactly 12 o’clock at night, but then had to wait a long time for the trophy. This happened because Team India refused to accept the trophy from Mohsin Naqvi. As the President of the ACC, Naqvi was supposed to present the trophy to the winning team. However, in addition to being the President of the ACC, Naqvi is also the President of the Pakistan Cricket Board and the Interior Minister in the Pakistani government. Furthermore, Naqvi had launched a campaign against match referee Pycroft and had also posted controversial posts about India.
The ceremony started with a delay of one and a quarter hours.
This was the reason why Team India refused to accept the trophy. Consequently, the presentation ceremony took a long time to begin. As soon as Naqvi reached the stage, Indian fans in the stadium began chanting “Bharat Mata ki Jai.” Some even booed Naqvi. Finally, after a delay of one and a quarter hours, the presentation ceremony began at 1:15 am. However, Team India still didn’t receive the trophy; only a few players received their awards, and the ceremony ended there.
The team did not accept the trophy, but these four players received the awards.
Mohsin Naqvi, however, remained adamant and stated that, as per ACC rules, he, as president, would present the trophy. This caused a significant delay in the presentation ceremony, taking place an hour and a quarter after the match. During this time, the Pakistani players received their medals, but Team India refused to accept their winner’s medals. They also refused to accept the trophy.
However, four Team India players did receive awards. Shivam Dubey received the Game Changer Award, while Kuldeep Yadav received the Value Player Award and $15,000. Tilak Verma was named Player of the Match, and Abhishek Sharma was named Player of the Tournament, receiving $15,000, a trophy, and a car. However, all these players received their awards from other officials instead of Naqvi.
The team celebrated without a trophy.
Ultimately, the presentation ceremony ended without a trophy. Commentator Simon Doull even stated that Team India would not receive its trophy today. However, after all the officials, including Naqvi, left the stage, the entire Indian team arrived on stage and began celebrating the victory without the trophy. During this, the Indian players had a lot of fun imitating the trophy presentation and posed for photos.
