Mohsin Naqvi, who also serves as Pakistan’s Internal Minister and the current ACC Chair, sparked controversy during the recently concluded Asia Cup. Naqvi refused to hand over the trophy to the Indian team after their win and instead locked the silverware in his Dubai office.
He insisted that India captain Suryakumar Yadav personally collect the trophy a move seen as disrespectful and politically charged. The post-match presentation was delayed for almost an hour, and ended abruptly as neither India nor Naqvi backed down.
Also Read: World Cup 2025: How can India qualify for Women's WC despite defeat to South Africa
Advertisement
The situation escalated further when Naqvi failed to congratulate the Indian team after the win and made politically provocative remarks against India on social media. His conduct during the tournament including deflecting concerns raised by BCCI representatives at the ACC meeting has drawn sharp criticism.
BCCI’s Official Response to the Incident
Now, the BCCI is planning to escalate the matter to the ICC. As per PTI reports, the Indian board is pushing for disciplinary action against Naqvi, including censure and possible removal from his role as ICC Director. BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia has already stated that the Asia Cup trophy is not Naqvi's personal property and must be returned to India immediately.
"It remains to be seen what will be the long-term ramifications for the PCB or Naqvi because the BCCI is clear he (Naqvi) didn't have any right to insist on handing the trophy himself to the Indian team and refusing to send it to the BCCI, who were the official hosts of the event," PTI quoted a source as saying.
Advertisement
A senior BCCI official told PTI that Naqvi had no authority to personally hand over the trophy or withhold it from the official hosts India. With tensions still high following the Pahalgam terror attack and on-field confrontations during the tournament, Naqvi’s behaviour has only widened the political and sporting rift between the two nations.
Also Read: IPL 2026: IPL 2026 auction likely to be held on December 15, retention deadline on November 15
