Asia Cup 2025: India refuses to accept Asia Cup trophy from Mohsin Naqvi

Interestingly, Indian players had to wait a long time to claim the coveted Asia Cup championship after defeating Pakistan by five wickets in a thrilling final on Sunday, September 28.

When Rinku Singh scored the winning runs against Haris Rauf in the penultimate over, it was 12 a.m. in India. However, more than an hour after the event, India was unable to lift the crown, which they had won after seven consecutive Asian Cup victories.

Mohsin Naqvi, the ACC chief and PCB chairman, had been waiting on stage for quite some time after the match ended. The Indian players also waited for a long time. However, the Pakistani players waited a long time to emerge from their dressing room.

When Pakistan skipper Salman Agha led his squad out onto the pitch, the crowd booed him. The presenting ceremony ultimately began approximately 1:15 AM (IST). Simon Doull, a veteran commentator, had the distinction of hosting the event.

Meanwhile, Tilak Varma won the Player of the Match honour. He was racing Kuldeep Yadav for the prize. The latter bowled wonderfully, picking up four wickets in as many overs while giving only 30 runs. Tilak, on the other hand, won by scoring a gutsy half-century under pressure. The Mumbai Indians batsman anchored the innings, finishing undefeated on 69 from 53 balls with three fours and four sixes.

Tilak’s knock was even more special because he had to weather the storm after India lost three quick wickets in four overs during their run-chase. In the end, India reached home with two balls and five wickets to spare. Apart from Tilak, experienced players Sanju Samson (24) and Shivam Dube (33) played important knocks to orchestrate the victory for the Men in Blue.

India refuse to accept Asia Cup Trophy from Mohsin Naqvi

However, the presentation ceremony was abruptly ended before India could get the Asia Cup title. After giving away the individual awards and felicitating Pakistan, the Indian fans were in anticipation of watching their favourite team lift the title. However, Doull announced that India does not want to collect their coveted Asia Cup title.

“I have been informed by the ACC that the Indian cricket team will not be collecting their awards tonight. So that does conclude the post-match presentation,” informed Doull.

After refusing to shake hands with the Pakistani players throughout the tournament, India have taken another unique step, not accepting the award from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chairman and Pakistan minister Mohsin Naqvi.