Team India’s T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav finally revealed the truth on why his team refused to collect the Asia Cup 2025 trophy on September 28 (Sunday).
Speaking to the reporters, the 35-year-old revealed that the drama occurred off-camera during the award presentation ceremony. He said that if individual players collected their respective awards, the Indian team would have no hesitation in accepting the trophy.
Before the tournament’s commencement, the Indian team was clear with their policy not to receive a trophy from the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president Mohsin Naqvi, who is from Pakistan. This was due to the rise of political tensions between the two countries after the Pahalgam attacks.
Meanwhile, Devajit Saikia, the secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), said that the panel will soon file a complaint against Naqvi for running away with the trophy.
Post Match Presentation Unexpected Drama
Several reports claimed that Khalid Al Zarooni, the vice-chairman of the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB), was appointed to fulfill the honors for the Indian cricket team.
While Pakistani players received their medals, their skipper, Salman Agha, threw away the runner-up cheque and walked away arrogantly.
The match commentator Simon Doull concluded the post-match presentation ceremony, confirming India’s decision to forgo the trophy soon after Mohsin Naqvi departed from the stadium.
For the unknown, the post-match presentation was delayed by an hour, as organizers rushed from corner to corner, managing the situation and resolving the issues.
Did Mohsin Naqvi Really Run Away with the Trophy?
To explain in simpler terms, the match concluded at 10:30 pm IST, but the final award presentation got delayed till midnight at 01 am IST. At that time, Mohsin Naqvi was spotted in a serious discussion with the match officials.
As soon as Simon Doull announced that India wouldn’t collect the trophy, the post-match presentation concluded with the entire team celebrating, posing as if they were holding a trophy.
Understanding the Indian team’s stance, Naqvi decided that the medals would be presented, but the trophy would be taken away by his officials from the location.
His decision comes after India skipped the handshake with Pakistani players in all three stages of the Asia Cup 2025— Group Stages, Super Fours, and Final.
‘Didn’t Sit Inside the Dressing Room’: Suryakumar Yadav
In a recent media interaction with the Indian Express, SKY opened up about the trophy presentation ceremony controversy:
“No! We didn’t shut the door and sit inside the dressing room. Moreover, we didn’t intentionally keep anyone waiting for the presentation ceremony.
Woh Trophy Lekey Bhaagg Gayee Wohh (in English, they ran away with the winning trophy). I really don’t know about it. But some had already prepared a video of us, but we were standing. But, we didn’t enter inside,” the Indian captain said.
No Involvement of BCCI: Suryakumar Yadav Clarifies
Suryakumar further clarified that neither the Indian government nor the BCCI informed the team of anything about accepting the trophy:
“Yeah! First, let’s clarify that no one from the Indian government or the BCCI conveyed anything about this throughout the tournament, saying that we shouldn’t accept the trophy if someone presents it.
This was purely our decision, which we took on the field. The ACC officials were standing right on the stage, and we were standing below.
Although I saw them speaking on the stage, I was not aware of the details of their conversation.
Some people in the crowd started booing more. Then, we noticed a representative from their side, who swiftly took the trophy and ran away,” SKY explained.
A Heartfelt Message From Suryakumar Yadav
Despite not collecting the trophy, Suryakumar Yadav’s emotional message won millions of fans’ hearts:
“Definitely! I won’t name it as controversy. Already, we have won the real trophy by winning the hearts of millions of fans. In fact, all my trophies are safely kept in the dressing room surrounded by 14 teammates and the entire support staff,” Suryakumar added.
BCCI Secretary Slammed Mohsin Naqvi
Mohsin Naqvi, who ran away with the trophy to his hotel, faced severe backlash from Devajit Saikia in a recent interview:
“Look! Being an ACC president doesn’t give him the right to take the trophy and medals with him. It’s like insulting the sportsmanship. We hope that the medals and trophies will be returned to the winners as soon as possible.
With the ICC conference coming up in Dubai this November, we will take a strong protest against Naqvi’s actions,” the BCCI secretary said.
Mohsin Naqvi Adds a New Twist For Team India
Being an ACC president and Pakistan Cricket Board(PCB) chairman, Mohsin Naqvi running away with the trophy sparked criticism for his unethical behavior.
Additionally, the Pakistani interior minister made a strange demand. He stated that the Asia Cup 2025 trophy would be handed over to the winning team, India, only if their captain, Suryakumar Yadav, visits the ACC office directly.
However, no such decision has been made so far regarding when and how the trophy will be handed over.