Mumbai: The glittering triumph of Team India in the Asia Cup 2025 final remains overshadowed by a lingering trophy tussle, with the silverware still eluding the champions after their five-wicket victory over Pakistan on Sunday (September 28).
Under the stewardship of PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) convened an emergency meeting here on Tuesday in an attempt to quell the controversy,but emerged empty-handed, deferring the resolution to the boards of Test-playing nations.
The controversy erupted at Dubai International Stadium when jubilant Indian players, led by captain Suryakumar Yadav, rebuffed Naqvi’s attempt to hand over the trophy and medals, citing deep-seated bilateral frictions.
In a dramatic twist, Naqvi pocketed the gleaming prize himself, forcing India to celebrate sans their hard-earned spoils — a snub that stunned the cricketing world and reignited Indo-Pak tensions.
The ACC huddle, attended virtually by BCCI representatives Rajeev Shukla and Ashish Shelar, failed to settle the dust-up or advance other agendas, including vice-president elections and schedules for emerging players and U-19 tournaments. Instead, the Council has mandated an offline summit involving the BCCI, PCB, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), and Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) to forge a swift path forward.
Rumours circulating within the corridors indicate that Naqvi is resolutely demanding that Yadav personally retrieve the trophy from the ACC office in his presence, a demand that seems both improbable and provocative.
As fans fret over when the Men in Blue will hoist their ninth Asia Cup crown, this standoff underscores the fragile geopolitics shadowing the gentleman’s game. Will the trophy row end amicably, or will it continue to tarnish the tournament’s legacy?