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India plans to sanction Mohsin Naqvi from world cricket, wants him removed from ICC board of directors
The BCCI are planning to get Mohsin Naqvi barred from world cricket after the Asia Cup drama and theatrics.
The Asia Cup 2025 drama is going to die at no time soon. After seemingly running away with the silverware following India's victory over Pakistan in the summit clash, Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chairman Mohsin Naqvi is still hell bent on wanting to give the trophy to India. According to a report by news agency PTI, the trophy has been placed at the ACC headquarters, but the PCB head has given strict instructions that it shouldn't be moved or handed over without his approval.
The BCCI has already stated that it will bring the matter of Naqvi's behaviour to the attention of the ICC. According to PTI, the Indian cricket board has plans to get Naqvi censured and possibly removed as Director in the ICC. Earlier, the BCCI secretary, Devajit Saikia, had clearly stated that the Asia Cup title is not Naqvi's personal property and that he should return it to India as soon as possible.
"It remains to be seen what will be the long-term ramifications for the PCB or Naqvi because the BCCI is clear he (Naqvi) didn't have any right to insist on handing the trophy himself to the Indian team and refusing to send it to the BCCI, who were the official hosts of the event," PTI quoted a source as saying.
The eight-team tournament concluded on September 28 with Suryakumar Yadav's India refusing to accept the silverware from Naqvi, who is also the Interior Minister of Pakistan. The post-match presentation was delayed by almost an hour, and in the end, the proceedings came to a premature end as neither India nor Naqvi budged from their stance.
Also Read: Mohsin Naqvi locks Asia Cup trophy in Dubai office, tells not to move it
India and Pakistan played each other thrice in the Asia Cup, and this was the first time that these two teams fought it out in the middle after the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor. The entire tournament was marred by the hostilities between the two teams.
The first flashpoint occurred on September 14 when Suryakumar's team refused to shake hands with the arch rivals. This led to politically charged gestures from Pakistan players during the Super 4s tie. Haris Rauf was also involved in a heated verbal altercation with Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill.
Naqvi's political statements
Naqvi also failed to uphold his responsibility as the ACC chair, as he continuously made political statements against India on his social media handles. After the Asia Cup concluded, the ACC held a meeting where tempers flared between Naqvi and BCCI representatives, including Rajeev Shukla and Ashish Shelar.
Initially, Naqvi refused to congratulate India on its Asia Cup win. However, he finally did so after being urged by Shelar. Naqvi also refrained from bringing up the matter of the silverware. However, once Shelar and Shukla tried to speak up about the matter, Naqvi continued to deflect.
According to protocols, the Asia Cup trophy should have been delivered to the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai by now. However, Naqvi has made his stance clear: if India wants the trophy, then the captain, Suryakumar, should fly down to Dubai and collect it from him personally.
