 "The Indian cricket team celebrated the title win without a trophy. Image: Reuters")
India defeated Pakistan by 5 wickets in the 2025 Asia Cup final in Dubai on Sunday, September 28, to win their record ninth title in the tournament’s history. The victory capped off yet another unbeaten campaign for the Men in Blue in a multi-nation event. However, the final was not held without its fair share of drama .
The Indian team refused to take the winners’ trophy from the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the chief of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the country’s Interior Minister. After waiting for the Indian team on the podium for several minutes, Naqvi took the trophy away with him, denying them a chance to pose with it.
How much prize money did India and Pakistan win?
For their win, India reportedly received $300,000 (Rs 2.05 crore approx) in prize money, while runners-up Pakistan earned $75,000 (Rs 66.75 lakh approx). The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) further rewarded the Indian team and support staff with a Rs 21 crore bonus (USD 2.3 million).
“The victory earned the Indian team a historic prize purse of $300,000 (approximately Rs 20.5 million), a 50% increase from the 2023 tournament. Runners-up Pakistan received $75,000 (around Rs 66.75 lakh),” according to Gulf News.
“It was an extraordinary victory and therefore, as part of the celebrations, BCCI has announced a cash award of ₹21 crore in favour of the players and the support staff who are part of the Indian team in the Asia Cup,” BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia told PTI.
Individual awards were also presented to top-performing players
Player of the Tournament: Abhishek Sharma - $15,000 (Rs 13 lakh approx) plus an SUV car
Value Player of the Tournament: Kuldeep Yadav - $15,000 (Rs 13 lakh approx)
Player of the Match (Final): Tilak Varma - $5,000 (Rs 4.4 lakh approx)
Gamechanger of the Match (Final): Shivam Dube - $5,000 (Rs 4.4 lakh approx)
India vs Pakistan final
Pakistan started strongly with the bat, with openers Sahibzada Farhan (57 off 38) and Fakhar Zaman (46 off 35) putting up an 84-run partnership. Pakistan looked set for a big total, but Kuldeep Yadav’s brilliant spell of 4/30 triggered a stunning collapse. Pakistan went from 84/0 to 146 all out, losing 9 wickets for just 33 runs.
India’s chase was also not easy. Pakistan’s Faheem Ashraf dismissed Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav, and Abhishek Sharma inside the powerplay to leave India struggling. But Tilak Varma held his nerve with a composed innings . He first rebuilt with Sanju Samson, and then accelerated alongside Shivam Dube to take India closer to the target.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsIndia needed 10 runs to win in the final over when Tilak smashed a crucial six off Haris Rauf’s second ball, before Rinku Singh sealed the victory with a boundary.