Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief and Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Chairperson Mohsin Naqvi is under intense criticism after his actions during and after the Asia Cup 2025 final. Reports revealed that Naqvi, already facing backlash for taking away the winner’s trophy, further fuelled controversy by refusing to congratulate Team India on their dominant title win during the ACC meeting.
According to BCCI sources, a BCCI representative had to insist that Mohsin Naqvi acknowledge India’s victory, but instead, he only extended congratulations to Nepal and Mongolia. Nepal had recently recorded a historic T20I series win against the West Indies, while Mongolia, Uzbekistan, and the Philippines were inducted into the ACC earlier this year. India had a flawless campaign, defeating Pakistan twice in the group stages and once again in the final, achieving a comprehensive 3-0 record and remaining unbeaten throughout the tournament.
India’s Bold Stand Against Naqvi
In protest against Naqvi’s behaviour, the Indian team refused to accept the Asia Cup trophy from him. The ‘Men in Blue’ declined to take the trophy handed by Naqvi, who also serves as Pakistan’s Interior Minister, while players Kuldeep Yadav, Abhishek Sharma, and Tilak Varma received individual awards from other dignitaries.
Even as Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha collected the runners-up cheque from Naqvi, Indian players avoided acknowledging him. The ACC chairperson also did not applaud any of the Indian players when they came up to collect their awards.
As the presentation ceremony concluded abruptly, commentator Simon Doull announced, “I have been informed by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) that the Indian cricket team will not be collecting their awards tonight. So that does conclude the post-match presentation.” BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia strongly criticised Naqvi’s presence, stating that they cannot “accept a trophy from a person” representing a nation that is “waging a war against our country.”
Strong Protest Planned Against Naqvi’s Actions
Team India celebrated their victory independently, with captain Suryakumar Yadav and his teammates recreating Rohit Sharma’s iconic T20 World Cup celebration amid fireworks. Speaking to ANI, Saikia reiterated that India had “decided not to take the Asia Cup 2025 trophy from the ACC chairman, who happens to be one of the main leaders of Pakistan.” He condemned Naqvi’s decision to take the trophy and medals with him, calling it “very unfortunate and unsportsmanlike.”
Saikia further revealed that a “serious and strong” protest would be launched against Naqvi at the upcoming ICC conference in Dubai this November. He added, “India is fighting a war with a country, and a leader belonging to that country was supposed to hand over the trophy to us…We cannot accept a trophy from a person who represents a country that is waging a war against our country.” He expressed hope that “good sense will prevail” and that the trophy and medals would be returned to India promptly.
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