New Delhi: Team India skipper Suryakumar Yadav lifted the lid on the drama that unfolded at the Dubai International Stadium in Dubai on Sunday post the Asia Cup 2025 final between India and Pakistan. India defeated Pakistan by 5 wickets in a thriller to win the final, however, they ended up celebrating without the trophy.
The trophy presentation didn’t take place after the Indian team refused to take the cup from Mohsin Naqvi, the president of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and the chief of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). While the Indian team made it clear they didn’t want the trophy from Naqvi, the ACC chief refused to leave the dais.
In the end, the trophy disappeared with Naqvi as the Indian team celebrated without it and posed for the cameras together. Opening up on the bizarre trophy drama, Suryakumar revealed the Indian players waited for nearly an hour after refusing to accept the trophy from Naqvi, but were not handed over the silverware.
“We didn’t close the door and sit inside the dressing room. We didn’t make anyone wait for the presentation ceremony. Trophy leke bhaag gaye woh (They ran away with the trophy). That’s what I saw. I don’t know, some people were making a video of us, but we were standing. We didn’t go inside,” Suryakumar was quoted as saying by the Indian Express.
The Indian players were seen standing and sitting close to the dais when the post-match presentation ceremony got underway after the conclusion of the Asia Cup 2025 final. However, the trophy handover didn’t take place as commentator Simon Doull, who was in charge of the presentation ceremony, announced that the Indian team would not accept it from Naqvi.
While the Indian skipper didn’t accuse Naqvi of ‘running away’ with the Asia Cup trophy, Suryakumar said he saw a representative of the Asian Cricket Council taking the trophy away while the Indian team was waiting on the ground.
“They (ACC officials) were standing there on the stage and we were standing below. I saw them talking on stage, and I don’t know the details of their chat. Some in the crowd started booing. And then we saw someone who was their representative taking the trophy and running away,” said Suryakumar.
The decision not to take trophy from Naqvi was ours: Suryakumar
Indian skipper Suryakumar also revealed it was the team’s decision not to accept the trophy from Naqvi, who is also Pakistan’s interior minister and is known for his anti-India stance. Suryakumar revealed there were no specific instructions from the BCCI or the Indian government as far as the Asia Cup trophy ceremony was concerned.
“First of all, let me make it clear, no one from the Government or the BCCI told us anything throughout the tournament that if someone gives a trophy, we won’t take it. We took that decision on our own on the ground,” Suryakumar was quoted as saying by the Indian Express.
Amid the ongoing political tensions between India and Pakistan after the Pahalgam terror attack earlier this year, the Indian cricket team maintained a ‘no-handshake’ and ‘no-engagement’ policy with Pakistan during the Asia Cup 2025. The Indian players refused to shake hands or engage with Pakistani players during all three matches played between the two teams.
India defeated Pakistan three times in the tournament on their way to lifting the Asia Cup 2025 title. India defeated Pakistan by 7 wickets in the group stage before beating them by six wickets in the Super 4 stage of the tournament. The two teams met for a third time in the final, where Tilak Varma’s heroics helped India pull off a thrilling 5-wicket win to win the Asia Cup 2025.