 "PCB chairman and current ACC president Mohsin Naqvi was made to congratulate India for winning the Asia Cup during a heated ACC meeting on 30 September. AP")
The drama surrounding the controversial end to the 2025 Asia Cup refuses to die down with things getting heated between the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) at an Asian Cricket Council meeting on Tuesday.
As per BCCI sources, the Indian board registered protests against PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi’s attitude in the post-match presentation ceremony after India defeated Pakistan by five wickets to be crowned Asian champions for the ninth time.
Additionally, the BCCI and other board members have also made sure Naqvi congratulated the Indian team for their triumph after the head of Pakistani cricket initially objected to it.
Vice-president Rajeev Shukla and former treasurer Ashish Shelar have also demanded Naqvi, who also happens to be Pakistan’s Interior Minister, submit the Asia Cup trophy to the ACC headquarters with immediate effect.
The sources added that Shelar had boycotted the heated meeting midway. The Indian board, meanwhile, has informed the PCB chairman that the matter will be brought before the ICC’s notice.
How the 2025 Asia Cup had ended on a chaotic note
The Suryakumar Yadav-led Indian team had refused to accept the winner’s trophy as well as their medals from Naqvi, who also happens to be ACC president, and demanded they receive it from other non-Pakistani officials present in the ceremony.
Naqvi, however, refused to accept India’s demand, and left the venue with the trophy in his tow, forcing the Men in Blue to conduct a “mock celebration” with an imaginary trophy.
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Tilak Varma and Abhishek Sharma had walked up to the podium to collect their Player of the Match and the Player of the Tournament awards, which were presented by other officials present on stage with both players ignoring Naqvi.
Naqvi’s only involvement in the curtailed post-match ceremony was presenting the ‘Runners up’ cheque to Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha, who infamously threw the cheque aside right after before walking towards presenter Simon Doull for an interview.
BCB president Aminul Islam had presented the Pakistani players with their runners-up medals.