Asia Cup 2025 | Why did Team India refuse to accept trophy from Mohsin Naqvi? REAL reason revealed

India registered a 5-wicket victory over Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2025 final on Sunday (Sep 29). But, it is Team India's post-match action that has made bigger and better headlines! After the win, Team India refused to accept the trophy from Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Mohsin Naqvi, who is also a Pakistani politician. In what may be surely called a crazy twist of events, Naqvi left the premises with the trophy, with Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) now saying that they will lodge a complaint against him.

Why Team India refused to accept trophy from Mohsin Naqvi?

According to reports, Mohsin Naqvi’s distasteful repost of an image on the social media platform X became the first trigger for India to take the decision. In the post shared by Naqvi, Pakistan players were seen fighter suits to the backdrop of fighter jets, with the caption that read, ‘Final Day.’ Earlier, as the tournament progressed, Naqvi had posted a picture of Cristiano Ronaldo depicting a crashing plane. Though, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav shared the stage with Naqvi - who serves as ACC chairman - during the captain's meet ahead of the tournament, the Indian players decided to boycott him later, and were ready to receive the trophy from Vice Chairman of the Emirates Cricket Board Khalid Al Zarooni. But Naqvi insisted and Team India didn't give in. The Indian team during the Asia Cup also refused to shake hands with Pakistani players. The Indian captain did not participate in the photoshoot with the trophy ahead of the final match.

Later on Monday (Sep 29), BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia applauded the Indian team for refusing to take the trophy from Naqvi and slammed him for taking the prize away. He added that India's decision was not instantaneous but “deliberate.” Speaking to Network18, Saikia said that the BCCI had already communicated their position that the Indian team would not accept the Asia Cup trophy from Naqvi, as he was not only the ACC chairman but also a senior Pakistani leader. He explained that it was unacceptable for the team to receive an award from someone representing a country that is openly hostile and engaged in conflict with India. According to him, the players were willing to accept the trophy if it had been presented by a neutral ACC or match official. However, when it became clear that Naqvi insisted on doing the presentation himself, the team collectively decided to abstain from the ceremony.

“For us, it is not possible to take an award from someone who represents a country that is openly hostile and waging war against India.The BCCI official added that Indian players were ready to take the trophy from a neutral ACC official…When the insistence came that the presentation would be done by Mr. Naqvi himself, the team decided to stay away. That was not an impulsive act — it was a conscious and unanimous decision," Sakia said.

Who is Mohsin Naqvi?

Mohsin Naqvi is a prominent Pakistani politician, media entrepreneur, and cricket administrator. He is the founder of City Media Group, which operates multiple TV channels and a newspaper. In January 2023, he was appointed as the caretaker Chief Minister of Pakistan’s Punjab province. He served as Punjab CM until February 2024. He later became a Senator and was appointed as the Federal Minister for Interior and Narcotics Control in March 2024. In February 2024, he became Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and in April this year, he was chosen as the President of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC).