Why Did India Refuse to Receive Asia Cup Trophy After Beating Pakistan?

India’s dramatic Asia Cup victory over Pakistan in the UAE has turned into one of the most controversial cricket stories of the year.

Despite securing the regional title, Indian players refused to accept the trophy from Mohsin Naqvi, the chief of Pakistan’s cricket board and the country’s interior minister.

Instead, they staged a symbolic celebration, mimicking holding an invisible trophy, with captain Suryakumar Yadav later explaining they were denied the prize altogether.

Naqvi fired back online, saying the trophy was ready that day and inviting India to collect it from the Asian Cricket Council office in Dubai.

The episode capped a tournament already charged with political tension, marked by three fiery India-Pakistan games, a one-hour delay to the final’s presentation, and echoes of a deadly May conflict that claimed more than 70 lives.