The Asia Cup 2025 trophy saga refuses to die down. What started as a bizarre standoff at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium has now turned into a full-blown media battle. At the centre of it all is Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman and Asian Cricket Council (ACC) President Mohsin Naqvi, who has come out swinging against claims made by the Indian press.
Indian Reports Claim an Apology
Several Indian media outlets recently reported that Naqvi had apologised to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) during the ACC’s meeting in Dubai.
According to those reports, he supposedly admitted that the chaotic closing ceremony after the Asia Cup final “should not have escalated” and expressed regret over the trophy handover fiasco.
The narrative gained traction because, on the day of the final, the Indian players refused to receive their winners’ medals and the trophy directly from Naqvi.
In response, the ACC chief halted the presentation and ordered the awards to be taken off the field altogether, a move that shocked fans watching around the world.
Mohsin Naqvi Breaks His Silence
But Naqvi has strongly denied those claims. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), he dismissed the apology rumours as baseless propaganda.
“Indian media thrives on lies, not facts,” he wrote. “I have done nothing wrong and I have never apologised to the BCCI nor will I ever do so.”
His statement was firm, almost defiant. “This fabricated nonsense is nothing but cheap propaganda, aimed only at misleading their own people. Unfortunately, India continues to drag politics into cricket, damaging the very spirit of the game,” he added.
The Trophy Tug of War
If that was not enough, more drama unfolded at the ACC meeting itself. According to sources, BCCI vice-president Rajiv Shukla directly asked Naqvi to hand over the Asia Cup trophy. But Naqvi stood his ground, making it clear that such a demand was not even part of the official agenda.
“If the Indian team wants the trophy, the captain can come to the ACC office and collect it from me,” Naqvi reportedly said. No formal decision was taken on the matter, leaving the trophy right where it is, in the ACC’s possession.
A Ceremony Like No Other
The controversy stems from India’s refusal to take part in what should have been a routine presentation ceremony. The final, which they won against Pakistan, ended with a one-hour delay to the closing formalities.
In the end, only a handful of individual awards were handed out before presenter Simon Doull announced that the Indian team would not be collecting the main prize.
Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha accepted the runners-up cheque, but the sight of the Asia Cup trophy being quietly removed from the stage without a winner lifting it was unprecedented in cricket history.
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