The presentation ceremony descended into chaos as Naqvi stood firm on stage, Indian players refused to budge, and the trophy was taken away.
BY PC Bureau
September 28 — The Asia Cup 2025 final between India and Pakistan ended in triumph for Suryakumar Yadav’s men on the field but descended into unprecedented drama off it, as the champions refused to accept the trophy from Pakistan minister and Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president Mohsin Naqvi.
The five-wicket victory on Sunday should have been capped by a jubilant presentation ceremony, but instead the match culminated in an extraordinary standoff that left the winners celebrating without the trophy. Organisers scrambled for solutions, but with India standing firm in their boycott of Naqvi, the silverware was eventually taken away from the stage and never awarded to the team — a historic first in international cricket.
Moments after the match ended, Indian players gathered near the boundary ropes to acknowledge their supporters. As is customary, the stadium announcer prepared for the post-match formalities, with fans eagerly waiting to see their heroes lift the trophy.
Yet, behind the scenes, the tension was already palpable. According to team sources, India’s management had formally inquired who would hand over the winners’ trophy. The reply that it would be ACC chief Naqvi sparked unease. Delhi had reportedly conveyed its reservations about India accepting honours from a Pakistani minister, especially one who had been vocal in anti-India rhetoric in recent months.
Big Breaking 🚨🚨
Team India refuses to accept the Asia Cup 2025 Trophy 🏆 from Pakistan interior minister and ACC Chairman Mohsin Naqvi.
Someone just picked up the trophy and walked off the ground.
Another Embarrassing Moment for 🇵🇰
Video 📷#INDvsPAK #AsiaCupFinal #Tilak pic.twitter.com/h4CrRZgcUF
— Globally Pop (@GloballyPop) September 28, 2025
Sensing the looming embarrassment, ACC officials huddled backstage, considering alternatives. Khalid Al Zarooni, the vice-chairman of the Emirates Cricket Board, was on hand and could have stepped in. But Naqvi refused to concede ground, insisting that as ACC president it was his prerogative to present the trophy.
As the delay stretched, thousands of Indian supporters inside the Dubai International Stadium grew restless. When Naqvi finally took to the stage, the stands erupted in loud boos. Chants of “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” and “India, India” drowned out the public address system.
Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha, who came up for the runners-up medal presentation, faced similar hostility, with Indian fans jeering his walk to the dais.
On the field, Indian players stood their ground some 15 yards from the stage. None moved forward, a silent but unmistakable message. The image of Naqvi waiting awkwardly, flanked by dignitaries and empty chairs where Indian cricketers should have been, became symbolic of the deadlock.
Trophy Disappears Backstage
With the standoff showing no sign of resolution, organisers quietly removed the trophy from the presentation area. Eyewitnesses said it was carried inside towards the dressing room complex. This unorthodox move confirmed what was becoming increasingly clear: the champions would not be lifting the trophy on the podium.
Meanwhile, Indian players were individually felicitated for their performances — Suryakumar Yadav as Player of the Match, and others who featured in awards for batting and bowling. But the central moment — the captain lifting the trophy with his teammates — never came.
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The decision was not entirely unexpected. Throughout the tournament, India had maintained a frosty stance towards Pakistan. Players refrained from shaking hands after matches, avoided the customary pre-toss photographs with rival captains, and kept interactions to a bare minimum.
Officials said these gestures were deliberate, signalling New Delhi’s political position and the team’s alignment with it. “The message was clear from the beginning — India would not accept the trophy from Naqvi. Everyone in the ACC knew this was coming,” said a senior administrator on condition of anonymity.
Adding another twist, the Pakistan team did not emerge from their dressing room for nearly an hour after the match ended. Captain Agha and his teammates stayed inside while Naqvi waited uncomfortably on stage. When they finally did appear, the reception was brutal. Indian fans, who had braved the delay, showered them with chants of “Indiaaaa, Indiaaaa”, further underlining the atmosphere of hostility.
Political Undertones
At the heart of the controversy lay more than just cricketing protocol. Naqvi, a federal minister in Pakistan, had recently courted controversy with cryptic social media posts. One of them included a video of Cristiano Ronaldo’s plane-crash goal celebration — widely interpreted as a reference to Pakistan’s claims during “Operation Sindoor” that six Indian fighter jets were downed.
Indian officials viewed this as a direct provocation, making Naqvi unacceptable as the face of continental cricket’s biggest event. “There was no way the team could have shared the stage with him, let alone take the trophy from his hands,” a source close to the Indian camp explained.
The bizarre scenes triggered a flood of reactions across the cricketing world. Former cricketers expressed disbelief at the outcome. “This is the first time I’ve seen a winning team leave without the trophy,” said ex-India opener Virender Sehwag. “It shows how politics is intruding into cricket more than ever before.”
Pakistan’s cricket fraternity, meanwhile, expressed embarrassment. A former PCB official told local media: “Naqvi should have stepped aside. This was about the players, not political egos. Now the whole world will only talk about the missing trophy.”
On Indian social media, however, fans largely backed the team’s stance. Hashtags like #TrophyDrama, #IndiaVsPakistan, and #CricketControversy trended overnight, with many hailing the refusal as a stand of national pride.
ACC in Damage Control
The Asian Cricket Council has yet to release an official statement. However, insiders said a review was inevitable. “The priority was to finish the event without a physical confrontation. But going forward, the protocol of who presents trophies will have to be re-examined,” one official admitted.
Some voices within the ACC privately conceded that allowing Naqvi to insist on protocol was a mistake. “The optics were terrible. It left both the ACC and Pakistan embarrassed, while the Indian team emerged as the side that dictated terms,” the source added.
A Historic First
Cricket historians confirmed that never before had a major international trophy gone unawarded on the field. Even during tense political moments — such as India and Pakistan encounters in Sharjah in the 1980s, or the 1996 World Cup boycott episodes — trophies were still presented.
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“This is unprecedented,” said Boria Majumdar, sports historian. “We have seen trophies handed over in empty stadiums, in hostile atmospheres, but never withheld completely because the winning team refused to take it.”
With India refusing to accept the trophy on stage, questions remain about how and when the silverware will be handed over. Officials suggested it could be given to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in a private ceremony, away from cameras.
But the controversy has already overshadowed the cricket. Instead of discussions about Suryakumar Yadav’s captaincy, India’s bowling performance, or Pakistan’s collapse under pressure, the headlines are dominated by one question: Where is the trophy?
The Asia Cup 2025 final in Dubai will be remembered not just for India’s clinical five-wicket win over arch-rivals Pakistan, but also for the bizarre trophy drama that followed. In the annals of cricketing history, this night will stand out as the time when champions walked away without their prize, fans booed a governing body’s chief, and politics took centre stage over sport.
For India, the absence of silverware could not diminish the joy of victory. For Pakistan, it marked another humiliating episode on and off the field. And for the Asian Cricket Council, it was a reminder that cricket in the subcontinent can never be separated from the fault lines of politics.
