BCCI chooses diplomacy over confrontation in Asia Cup trophy issue with Mohsin Naqvi after months of drama

In a significant development, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the chief of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), have begun talks to end the ongoing Asia Cup trophy dispute. BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia confirmed that both sides have “broken the ice” after his meeting with Naqvi on the sidelines of the ICC meeting in Dubai.

The controversy began when the 2025 Asia Cup trophy, which India won after defeating Pakistan in the final on September 28, was not presented to the team. ACC’s current boss Naqvi was set to hand over the trophy, but the Indian players refused to receive it from him due to his anti-India stance as Pakistan’s Interior Minister. He then took away the trophy with him and denied India a chance to celebrate with it after the win.

This was at the peak of Indo-Pak tensions following the Pahalgam terror attack and the subsequent military operations on both sides. Players from both India and Pakistan were not spared by the strained relations and were drawn into the controversy, as they were seen refraining from handshakes after matches and making provocative gestures at each other.

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Since then, the Asia Cup trophy has remained at the ACC headquarters in Dubai, with Naqvi reportedly instructing his staff not to move it without his approval. The BCCI has been trying to bring the trophy and medals home but has so far been unable to convince Naqvi, who even offered to organise an event to hand over the trophy on the condition that a representative from the Indian board personally receives it from him.

However, the BCCI reportedly rejected the offer as they did not want to be seen sharing a stage with Naqvi. However, the matter is being handled differently behind closed doors. The BCCI is taking a diplomatic approach to resolve the issue, “cordially” engaging with Naqvi on the sidelines of the ICC meeting.

BCCI starts negotiations with Naqvi

Saikia, who represented the BCCI at the ICC meeting, said that the matter was discussed informally in the presence of senior ICC officials. “I was a part of both the informal and formal meeting of the ICC. PCB chairperson Mohsin Naqvi was also present. During the course of a formal meeting, it was not on agenda but ICC facilitated a meeting between myself and the PCB chief separately in the presence of a senior ICC office-bearer and another senior official,” Saikia told PTI.

“It was really good to start the process of negotiation. Both sides cordially participated in the meeting which took place on the sidelines of the ICC board meet,” he added.

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When asked about reports suggesting the formation of a special panel to handle the issue, Saikia ruled out any such move. “Although one of the senior persons from ICC is involved in the process of negotiation, there is no requirement for any such thing (a committee) at this stage. The issue will be resolved before any such drastic step is taken by the ICC,” he added.

While tensions between the two boards remain high in public, it appears that both BCCI and PCB are quietly working behind the scenes to find a face-saving resolution. The episode, which could have been avoided with a better approach during the Asia Cup, looks like it was caused by public sentiment at the time because both boards are now engaging in a civilised manner.