India refuse trophy from Pakistan Minister after beating Pakistan in Asia Cup Final

India defeated Pakistan by five wickets to win the Asia Cup final on Sunday, September 28, 2025, at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Put into bat first, Pakistan collapsed from 113 for one to 146 all out in 19.1 overs. Despite India’s shaky start at 20 for three after four overs, including the dismissal of Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma’s unbeaten 69 and Shivam Dube’s 33 guided India to 150 for five with two balls to spare.

The win allowed India to defend their Asia Cup title, but the celebrations took a dramatic turn. The Indian team refused to accept the winner’s trophy from Pakistan’s interior minister Mohsin Naqvi, who also serves as President of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board.

The presentation ceremony was delayed by over an hour and abruptly cut short. Post-match host Simon Doull announced that the Indian team would not be collecting their awards.

BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia confirmed the decision, saying, “We have decided not to take the trophy from the ACC chairman, who happens to be one of the main leaders of Pakistan.” He added that India would lodge a protest against Naqvi at the next ICC meeting.

While the team refused the main trophy, Tilak Varma (player of the match), Abhishek Sharma (player of the tournament), and Kuldeep Yadav (MVP) collected their individual awards but did not acknowledge Naqvi. He was notably the only official on stage who did not applaud the winners.

This was the third time in the tournament India defeated Pakistan, in what was a politically charged contest following the two nations’ brief military conflict in May 2025.