The 2025 Asia Cup final between India and Pakistan, held in Dubai on September 28, has already earned a place in cricketing folklore—not just for the action on the pitch, but for the explosive aftermath that unfolded on the stage and in the boardrooms. India triumphed over their arch-rivals by five wickets, notching up a clinical win that had fans across the subcontinent glued to their screens and social media feeds. But if anyone expected a routine trophy presentation and a round of celebratory photos, they were in for quite a surprise.
The drama began almost immediately after the final ball was bowled. As the Indian squad gathered for what should have been a joyous coronation, the trophy presentation was delayed by over an hour. The reason? The cup was to be handed over by Mohsin Naqvi, a figure who wears multiple hats: president of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), and Pakistan's Interior Minister. The Indian team, unhappy with Naqvi’s recent social media posts—including one depicting Cristiano Ronaldo and a plane crash—refused to accept the trophy from him. The standoff left the trophy stranded at the ACC headquarters in Dubai, with Naqvi reportedly insisting that Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav must personally travel to collect it.
Instead of the usual champagne-soaked celebrations, the Indian players improvised. On stage, they hoisted an imaginary trophy, a moment that quickly went viral. Social media lit up with trophy emojis from the squad, a tongue-in-cheek response to an unprecedented situation. Sanju Samson, reflecting on the moment at the CEAT Cricket Awards 2025 in Mumbai, remarked, "It was a bit strange but we actually have a very positive environment in our dressing room. Even if we don’t have anything, we have to celebrate like we have everything in our hands. So that’s what we did." Varun Chakravarthy revealed, "It was Arshdeep’s idea. It was just on the spot. We were actually waiting to be given the trophy. But yeah, as you know how it turned out."
The refusal to take the trophy wasn’t the only flashpoint in a tournament marked by tension. The Asia Cup 2025 was played against the backdrop of the Pahalgam terror attack and India’s Operation Sindoor, with nationalist fervor and political posturing running high. The three India-Pakistan encounters—on September 14, September 21, and the final on September 28—were less about the nuances of cricket and more about the symbolism of rivalry. At the very outset, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav set the tone by declining the customary handshake with his Pakistani counterpart, a gesture that was repeated throughout the series.
The friction only escalated as the tournament progressed. The Super 4s match saw several Pakistan players making provocative gestures toward Indian players and fans. Pakistan’s Shaibzada Farhan’s gun celebration after his fifty, and Haris Rauf’s taunts referencing claims of downing Indian aircraft, added fuel to the fire. On the Indian side, the refusal to participate in the trophy ceremony and the team’s subsequent walk-off from the stage appeared almost choreographed—a performance of national pride that resonated with millions back home.
Such gestures did not go unnoticed in the political arena. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X minutes after the final, framing India’s victory as another chapter in “Operation Sindoor.” The overlap between cricket and politics has never been so explicit, with the pitch morphing into a stage for muscular nationalism. "The audience was wheedled to decode it as patriotism," observed one commentator, highlighting how the sport had been subsumed by a broader, often divisive, narrative.
The controversy didn’t end with the final whistle or the trophy standoff. At a recent ACC meeting, Naqvi and BCCI representatives Rajeev Shukla and Ashish Shelar exchanged sharp words over the fate of the trophy. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is reportedly considering a no-confidence motion against Naqvi at the next ACC gathering, further deepening the rift between the two cricketing powerhouses.
The off-field drama has reignited the debate over the future of India-Pakistan cricket. Former England captain Michael Atherton called for reducing the frequency of these fixtures, arguing that the rivalry had become more political than sporting. However, a senior BCCI official dismissed the idea, telling Dainik Jagran, "It’s easy to talk about all this, but will sponsors and broadcasters agree to it? In today’s situation, if any major team, not just India, withdraws from a tournament, it will be difficult to attract sponsors." The official emphasized that India-Pakistan matches are the financial lifeblood of global cricket tournaments, routinely dominating television ratings and digital traffic. "Commercial interests—not sentiment—are what ultimately keep cricket’s fiercest rivalry alive," the official concluded.
Meanwhile, the players themselves have tried to maintain a sense of camaraderie amid the chaos. There have been moments of goodwill in past tournaments—like Virat Kohli offering his bat to Mohammad Amir in 2016 or Shaheen Afridi gifting Jasprit Bumrah a present after the birth of his child. But this year, such gestures were overshadowed by the charged atmosphere and political overtones.
Fans, too, found themselves caught in the crossfire. In Maharashtra, protests erupted with slogans like "Cricket tujhse bair nahi, Pakistan teri khair nahi," and television sets were smashed in frustration. Veteran spinner Harbhajan Singh condemned the BCCI’s decision to play Pakistan, stating, "Khoon and paani cannot co-exist." The sentiment was echoed by media anchors, with Republic TV’s Arnab Goswami declaring that even watching the match was tantamount to compromising national interests.
In the end, the Asia Cup 2025 wasn’t just a cricket tournament—it was a proxy battleground, a billion-dollar spectacle, and a theater for geopolitical rivalry. The numbers on the scoreboard faded into the background as symbolism took center stage. The trophy may still be in Dubai, but the real contest appears far from settled. As the dust settles, one thing is clear: the intersection of cricket and politics in the subcontinent has never been more stark, and the Asia Cup 2025 will be remembered as much for its off-field drama as for the cricket played between the wickets.