“Only he will hand over the trophy”- Mohsin Naqvi locks Asia Cup trophy in ACC office before going to Pakistan

The Asia Cup trophy, which was not presented to the winning Indian team due to their refusal to accept it from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chief Mohsin Naqvi, has been kept locked away at the ACC's Dubai headquarters with "instructions that it should not be moved or handed over" without the Chairman's approval. 

The trophy has been at the ACC office since Naqvi walked away with it during the presentation ceremony when the Indian team refused to accept it. On September 28, India defeated Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2025 final, held in Dubai.

Naqvi is both the Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and his country's Interior Minister, and tensions between India and Pakistan have risen since the Pahalgam terror attack.

"As of today, the trophy is still in ACC offices in Dubai with clear instructions from Naqvi that it should not be moved or handed over to anyone without his approval and in person presence. Naqvi has given clear instructions that only he will hand over the trophy in person (whenever that happens) to the Indian team or BCCI," PTI reported.

The entire Asia Cup was tarnished by hostilities between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam terrorist incident and the ensuing Operation Sindoor launched by Indian armed forces on Pakistani bases. 

During the event, Indian players refrained from shaking hands with their Pakistani counterparts, and both teams made both covert and overt political gestures on the field. 

The BCCI appears to have taken great issue with Naqvi's politically charged comments on social media during the tournament, which generated additional controversy.  

The BCCI strongly opposed to him accepting the trophy and promised to raise the issue at the ICC conference the following month. Many individuals believe that a strong effort could be made to have Naqvi censured and possibly removed from his post as Director of the ICC.

"It remains to be seen what will be the long-term ramifications for the PCB or Naqvi because the BCCI is clear he (Naqvi) didn't have any right to insist on handing the trophy himself to the Indian team and refusing to send it to the BCCI who were official hosts of the event," the source said.

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