India won the Asia Cup on September 28, 2025, but nearly a month later, the champions still don’t have the trophy in their hands. What started as an awkward presentation-night snub has now snowballed into an unprecedented standoff between the BCCI and ACC president Mohsin Naqvi.
The trophy twist
According to ANI, a BCCI official recently visited the ACC headquarters in Dubai to collect the trophy, only to be told that it had been removed and relocated to Abu Dhabi, allegedly under Naqvi’s personal custody. This follows the tense final night, when the Indian team declined to accept the trophy directly from Naqvi on stage.
Earlier reports in the Times of India said Naqvi had instructed ACC staff not to release the trophy without his approval, even keeping it locked at the ICC Academy complex. Meanwhile, India Today noted that Naqvi now wants a formal handover ceremony, insisting that the trophy will only be given if an Indian player personally receives it.
What sparked the standoff?
After the final, the presentation stretched into chaos. As reported by Reuters, Indian players waited on stage for over an hour before walking off without the trophy. The bizarre moment ended with the team lifting an “imaginary trophy” and posing for photos. Captain Suryakumar Yadav later called the situation “disappointing” and “unheard of” for a winning side.
The BCCI, as conveyed to the media including India TV, has formally asked the ACC to dispatch the trophy to India and close the matter. With Naqvi unmoved and the board unwilling to bow to conditions, the deadlock remains.
For now, the Asia Cup trophy has become a cricketing hostage of bureaucracy and ego. India have moved on to their next assignments, but the victory still feels incomplete — a title without a trophy.
