India won the record-extending Asia Cup trophy, defeating Sri Lanka, but an unfortunate incident overshadowed the victory. The winners refused to collect the trophy as Mohsin Naqvi presented it. However, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president did not object when the Indian women’s team declined to accept the Women’s Asia Cup trophy from him.
BCCI reveals Mohsin Naqvi’s surprising reaction after India’s massive Asia Cup Trophy snub
According to BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla, the decision was a collective one taken by the Indian board and communicated in advance. As quoted by PTI, he revealed:
“We discussed the matter among ourselves and decided that we would not accept it from him. That was our collective decision.”
Shukla, speaking of Naqvi’s reaction to the refusal, said:
“He also did not raise any objection to it. We informed our team accordingly. He presented it to whoever he had to and then left.”
The presentation ceremony at Dubai International Stadium was delayed by nearly an hour as Naqvi waited at the podium before leaving it abruptly. Naqvi, who also serves as Pakistan Cricket Board chairman and Pakistan’s interior minister, eventually took the stage, handed the runners-up cheque to Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu, and left the venue shortly afterwards.
Unlike the men’s Asia Cup final in 2025, he did not take the winners’ trophy with him. On the other hand, the Indian women’s team celebrated the victory at the sidelines. The incident marked the second consecutive Asia Cup final in which an Indian team refused the trophy from the ACC president amid ongoing India-Pakistan tensions.
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