The Asia Cup 2025 final held in Dubai between India and Pakistan ended in a dramatic and controversial fashion, overshadowing what should have been a celebration of cricket excellence. The match, which saw India clinch a record-extending ninth Asia Cup title with a five-wicket victory over Pakistan, took a chaotic turn during the trophy presentation ceremony.
The controversy began when Mohsin Naqvi, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman and Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president, allegedly walked away with the winner’s trophy, causing a significant disruption. India’s players refused to accept the trophy from Naqvi, standing firm at a distance from the stage. Reports suggest that the Indian team had explicitly informed the organizers beforehand that they would not participate in the presentation ceremony if Naqvi was the one presenting the trophy. This refusal was rooted in the fraught relations that marked the tournament, including the absence of traditional sportsmanship gestures like handshakes and the usual pre-toss photoshoots.
The standoff brought the ceremony to a halt, creating an awkward atmosphere. As Naqvi waited on the dais, Indian fans in the stadium voiced their displeasure loudly, chanting patriotic slogans that intensified the tension. It seemed clear that Naqvi was reluctant to see the Indian team photographed with the trophy, which was eventually taken away by the organizers and hidden in the dressing room after a protracted delay.
The unfolding drama highlighted the underlying political and sporting tensions between the two nations. Naqvi, who also holds the position of Pakistan’s interior minister, was deemed an unacceptable figure by the Indian side for presenting the trophy on such a significant occasion. This was a continuation of the cold exchanges throughout the tournament, reflecting the broader context in which the games were played.
Amid this off-field turmoil, the Indian team celebrated their victory without the trophy on the podium, a rare and striking visual moment. Fans and players witnessed an unusual scene where the celebration felt incomplete, marked more by the absence of the trophy than by the joy of winning. Meanwhile, the Pakistan players stayed inside their dressing room for about an hour after the match, leaving the PCB chairman isolated on stage. When Pakistan’s team finally appeared, they faced overwhelming chants supportive of India from the crowd, further highlighting the charged atmosphere.
On the cricketing front, India’s win was emphatic. Tilak Varma played a key role in the chase, guiding the team with an unbeaten 69 off 53 balls and forming a vital 60-run partnership with Shivam Dube. Pakistan’s innings started promisingly with contributions from Sahibzada Farhan and Fakhar Zaman, but was cut short by Kuldeep Yadav’s impressive bowling figures of 4-30, which dismantled the middle order and restricted Pakistan to a modest total of 146.
This Asia Cup final will be remembered for both the brilliant cricket and the unprecedented off-field controversies. While India’s victory added another continental crown to their impressive record, the trophy presentation fiasco served as a reminder of the complex and often tense dynamics that can underlie sporting events between these two cricketing rivals. The 2025 Asia Cup final in Dubai thus became a defining moment, showcasing not just talent and competition but also the challenges of managing diplomacy and sportsmanship on such a high-stakes platform.
