According to a report in Cricbuzz, Naqvi has informed the organisers that the Indian team can receive their medals, provided a formal function is organised where he can present the awards. However, it’s unlikely that his demand will be met and no such function will be organised. As a result, there is no short conclusion to the saga, and a power tussle is all set to play out.

The Asia Cup 2025 got off to a dramatic and controversial end after India won the eight-team tournament by beating Pakistan by five wickets in the final at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday. After the contest on 22 yards was over, another contest got underway, and this was being played out behind the scenes.

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The Indian team refused to accept the trophy from Naqvi, who is also the head of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the Interior Minister of Pakistan. Throughout the competition, Naqvi repeatedly made anti-India statements, and he even mocked the country through distasteful and provocative social media posts.

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With India’s refusal to take the trophy from Naqvi, the post-match presentation was delayed by 45 minutes. Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, and Kuldeep Yadav received their individual awards, while the Pakistan players received their runners-up cheques and medals; however, that was about it. There was no trophy presentation for the Indian team.

It was because Naqvi insisted on giving away the trophy and not giving the spotlight to someone else. The fallout eventually turned into a tug-of-war with Naqvi walking away from the stadium and not handing the title to the winners, India.

ACC caught napping

Even before the start of the Asia Cup final, the world knew that India would refuse to accept the trophy from Naqvi, given their stance of not shaking hands with anyone from the Pakistan camp throughout the Asia Cup.

Naqvi even stooped down to posting anti-India remarks on social media despite holding the chair of ACC head. This gave the Suryakumar Yadav-led side all the more reason to snub Naqvi.

No one within the ACC preempted this situation, and the entire conference waited till the final game to try and end the impasse. The Indian camp reached a decision not to have anything to do with Naqvi after consulting BCCI officials in Mumbai.

However, with Naqvi remaining firm in his stance of wanting to grab the limelight, the presentation ceremony came to a close with Simon Doull saying, “Ladies and gentlemen, 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.”