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India refuse to collect Asia Cup trophy, medals after all hell breaks loose during controversial presentation ceremony
Asia Cup winners India refused to accept the trophy from ACC head Mohsin Naqvi, who also happens to be chairman of the Pakistan's cricket board.
The Indian team stayed true to their word, boycotting PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi on Sunday and refusing to accept the Asia Cup trophy, even as he attended the ceremony by virtue of being the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chief. After a delay of almost an hour—caused by the Pakistan team, who refused to step out of the dressing room following their loss—the presentation ceremony finally began, amid loud boos from the Indian spectators as Naqvi stepped on stage. But it ended abruptly after broadcaster Simon Doull read out an ACC announcement stating that the Indian team would not be receiving the award during the ceremony.
On September 14, after the group-stage match between India and Pakistan in Dubai was marred by the no-handshake storm—with the PCB chief lashing out at Suryakumar Yadav’s men and seeking the ICC’s intervention—a PTI report revealed that the defending champions had decided they would not share the presentation stage with Naqvi if they retained the Asia Cup crown on September 28.
ALSO READ: Salman Agha throws away Pakistan's runner-up cheque in front of Mohsin Naqvi as Asia Cup trophy ceremony leads to chaos
On Sunday, after India beat Pakistan in front of a packed Dubai stadium by chasing down 147 runs in a last-over thriller, both India and Naqvi were initially kept waiting by the Pakistan team, which did not leave the dressing room. The PCB chief, visibly agitated by the delay, was even spotted animatedly talking on the phone while standing beside the stage.
Eventually, according to a Cricbuzz report, Pakistan captain Salman Agha, head coach Mike Hesson, and the team manager emerged to loud boos from the Indian spectators. The rest of the players followed later, some still in flip-flops. Naqvi, too, wasn’t spared: as soon as he stepped onto the stage, Indian fans erupted with chants of "Bharat Mata ki Jai" and jeered at him throughout.
No trophy for Indian team
After more than an hour's wait, Doull kicked off the ceremony, with Tilak Varma receiving the Player of the Match award for his unbeaten 69 off 53. Kuldeep Yadav and Shivam Dube were also called up for their respective awards after valuable contributions in the win. Kuldeep had taken a four-fer in Pakistan’s 146 all out in 19.1 overs, while Dube had smashed 33 off 21 balls.
Doull then invited the entire Pakistan squad to collect their runners-up medals, followed by a quick chat with Salman. India opener Abhishek Sharma collected his Player of the Tournament award for his stunning Asia Cup 2025 campaign.
But just as fans and viewers waited for the Indian team to be called up, Doull abruptly ended the ceremony. "Ladies and gentlemen, I have been informed by the Asian Cricket Council that the Indian cricket team will not be collecting their awards tonight. So that does conclude the post-match presentation," he announced.
According to PTI, the Indian team management had earlier asked who would present the winners’ trophy, leaving the ACC scrambling as they realised their own chief was unacceptable to the champions. When Naqvi finally took the dais, he was told the Indian players would not accept the trophy if he attempted to present it and that an official protest would follow. As Naqvi stood waiting, the chaos deepened—an organiser quietly carried the trophy away and into the Indian dressing room.
