The man who stole the trophy: How Mohsin Naqvi hijacked Asia Cup final with his anti-India mindset

File Image - Pakistan's Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi (C) speaks with the team members during a practice session at the Dubai International Stadium in Dubai on February 22, 2025, a day ahead of their ICC Champions Trophy one-day international (ODI) cricket match against India. (Photo by FADEL SENNA / AFP)

Mohsin Naqvi, the dual hatted Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chief, turned the Asia Cup 2025 final into a political spectacle. Rather than preside over a crowning moment in sport, he masterminded one of the most disgraceful episodes in cricket history.

Indian players refused to accept the trophy and medals from him, and Naqvi abruptly walked off with the silverware, denying the champions their moment. His prior provocations and entrenched anti-India posture made that refusal inevitable. In doing so, Naqvi did not merely offend protocol. He weaponised sportsmanship for propaganda, dragging the game into a toxic clash of nationalism and vendetta.

The roots of Naqvi’s anti-India mindset

Naqvi’s controversial behaviour is not new. He has long leveraged cricket for political posturing. He has no professional cricketing background, and his rise to control both the PCB and ACC was met with scepticism. Before the Asia Cup, he made public statements that directly challenged India’s narrative.

After India defeated Pakistan to win the Asia Cup, Prime Minister Modi wrote, “#OperationSindoor on the games field. Outcome is the same India wins! Congrats to our cricketers.” On this, a flustered Naqvi reposted, “If war was your measure of pride, history already records your humiliating defeats at Pakistan’s hands. No cricket match can rewrite that truth. Dragging war into sport only exposes desperation and disgraces the very spirit of the game.”

He had also posted a video combining Cristiano Ronaldo’s celebration with imagery of jets crashing. This was widely interpreted as a taunt at India’s claims during Operation Sindoor. That move signalled that Naqvi meant to turn cricket into a proxy battlefield rather than an arena of sportsmanship.

Earlier during the tournament, Naqvi even threatened withdrawal and delayed Pakistan’s match against UAE when the organisers appeared inclined to appoint a neutral trophy presenter instead of him. In one of his bolder directives, he is reported to have told Pakistani players, “Do whatever you want, I’ll handle it,” effectively encouraging aggression.

How Naqvi’s actions aggravated the Asia Cup fiasco

When India won the final against Pakistan by five wickets, standard protocol would have had Naqvi present the trophy and medals. Instead, he blocked a neutral presenter, refused to step aside, and ultimately took the trophy away. Indian players had already made known their refusal to accept the trophy from him. The ceremony was cancelled, and the Indian side celebrated briefly without the trophy, then mocked the situation by pretending to lift an imaginary cup.

Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav, visibly frustrated, said, “I have never seen a champion team being denied a trophy, and that too a hard-earned one.” The spectacle became symbolic. Naqvi had converted the moment of victory into a crisis of dignity.

Earlier in the tournament, the Indian team had refused handshakes with Pakistan in tosses and post matches, citing the same hardline posture. Naqvi himself condemned India’s no handshake stance as “utterly disappointing” and accused them of politicising cricket. But this criticism rings hollow when his own actions epitomised politicisation more than any gesture of goodwill.

Consequences and what comes next

The BCCI has vowed to lodge a strong protest with both the ACC and the ICC. The incident threatens to set a dangerous precedent: one where a national administrator uses his authority to degrade the very spirit of the sport.

Naqvi’s manoeuvres were a deliberate affront that aligned Pakistani cricket with jingoism rather than competitive spirit. He converted a global sporting occasion into a propaganda broadcast. For India, the refusal to accept the trophy became a reaffirmation of dignity. For Pakistan, Naqvi’s intolerant posture further exposed how politics continues to poison one of the world’s greatest rivalries.