BCCI to Launch Protest Against Mohsin Naqvi Over Asia Cup Trophy Controversy

The Asia Cup 2025 final between India and Pakistan at the Dubai International Stadium was supposed to end with one team celebrating victory on the podium. Instead, the post-match presentation spiraled into one of the biggest controversies in the tournament’s 41-year history. India, after defeating Pakistan by five wickets, walked away without the trophy and medals after refusing to accept them from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chairman and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Mohsin Naqvi.

Now, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced that it will lodge a formal complaint against Naqvi at the upcoming ICC conference in Dubai this November. BCCI secretary Jay Shah’s deputy, Devajit Saikia, made the board’s stance clear in an official statement.

“We have decided not to accept the Asia Cup 2025 trophy from the ACC chairman, who happens to be one of the senior leaders of Pakistan. That was a conscious decision. This does not give him the right to take the trophy and the medals with him. It is extremely unfortunate and unsportsmanlike. We hope the trophy and medals will be returned to India as soon as possible. There is an ICC conference scheduled in Dubai this November, and at that conference, we will launch a very serious and strong protest against the actions of the ACC chairman. India is in conflict with that country, and we were expected to receive the trophy from a leader representing them,” Saikia said.

The Indian side’s refusal sparked immediate debate across the cricketing world. The players, led by Suryakumar Yadav, left the stage after the match without the silverware, a decision they described as a matter of principle. But the fallout deepened when Naqvi was seen holding the trophy, prompting sections of the Indian media to accuse him of “walking away” with the cup and medals. Some outlets even used the phrase “trophy chor,” though the claim has yet to be independently verified.

Saikia doubled down on the criticism, adding that while India’s stance was clear, Naqvi had crossed a line by taking the trophy out of the venue.

“We cannot accept a trophy from someone who represents a nation currently at odds with ours. That was our stance. But that does not mean the gentleman is entitled to walk away with the trophy and medals meant for our team and take them to his hotel room. That is completely unacceptable. We hope he reconsiders, and we will be registering a strong protest against his behaviour during today’s prize distribution ceremony,” he added.

The controversy has overshadowed India’s performance on the field, where they chased down Pakistan’s 127-run target with confidence to seal a historic Asia Cup win. Instead of focusing on the cricket, conversations have turned to sportsmanship, diplomacy, and the role of politics in sport.

The BCCI has also reiterated its long-standing position on bilateral cricket with Pakistan. Saikia underlined that India’s stance on playing its arch-rivals remains unchanged, with matches restricted to multinational tournaments only.

“BCCI has followed the spirit and the policy formulated by the Government of India regarding all games. So when it is a bilateral tournament, India is not going to play against Pakistan or any other hostile country. And the BCCI has been doing it for the last 12 to 15 years. The Government has said that in multinational tournaments, whether it is cricket or football, we have to play. Otherwise, the federation will be banned by international federations. So we followed the policy of the Central Government,” Saikia said.

The incident is the latest in a string of controversies that have marred the Asia Cup 2025, from handshake snubs to edited photos of the Indian team with the trophy surfacing online hours after the final. Cricket fans across the region have been left debating whether the game has been overshadowed beyond recognition by political theatrics.

As the dust settles, all eyes now turn to the ICC conference in Dubai, where India is expected to lodge a formal protest. Whether the governing body intervenes or brushes aside the episode as political theatre remains to be seen. What is certain is that a tournament meant to showcase the best of Asian cricket has ended under a cloud, with a trophy and medals that remain caught in the middle of a geopolitical dispute.

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