BCCI warns Mohsin Naqvi of escalation to ICC if Asia Cup not handed to India

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has written an official email to Asian Cricket Council chief Mohsin Naqvi, telling him to hand over the Asia Cup trophy back to India. BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia spoke to India Today exclusively and said that they're awaiting a response from Naqvi and if there is nothing from his side, will escalate the matter to ICC with an official mail. The BCCI secretary said that they're going step by step with the process and will keep pursuing the matter.

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The Asia Cup is currently at the ACC office in Dubai after the Indian team refused to collect the trophy from Naqvi at the post-match presentation after the final.

The Asia Cup trophy row

After beating Pakistan in a thrilling contest, the Indian players made the decision not to take the medals and trophy from the ACC chief. Naqvi then denied the Indian team the traditional presentation ceremony and ordered the ACC officials to take the trophy away.

During the ACC meeting on September 30, the BCCI condemned Naqvi's behaviour and said that the Asia Cup belongs to ACC. Rajeev Shukla, BCCI vice-president, emphasized that the Asia Cup 2025 trophy should be officially presented to the victorious Indian team, captained by Suryakumar Yadav, and that it must be placed under the immediate custody of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC).

Earlier, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia had criticized the actions of the ACC chairman, calling them inappropriate.

"We have decided not to accept the Asia Cup 2025 trophy from the ACC chairman, who happens to be one of the senior leaders of Pakistan. That was a conscious decision," Saikia said.

"This does not give him the right to take the trophy and the medals with him. It is extremely unfortunate and unsportsmanlike. We hope the trophy and medals will be returned to India as soon as possible," he added.

Even after apologizing to the ACC member boards, Naqvi stood by his position and declined to hand the trophy back to the Indian team. He maintained that if India wanted the silverware, their captain would have to personally visit the ACC headquarters in Dubai to retrieve it.

The BCCI promptly dismissed this condition, arguing that there was no reason for the Indian skipper to travel to Dubai to collect a trophy that should have been presented immediately after the final.

The dispute has deepened the existing tension between the two cricketing nations, casting a shadow over India’s Asia Cup 2025 victory.

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