“Cannot take trophy from enemy nation’s leader”: BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia

Team India scripted a memorable victory by defeating Pakistan to lift the Asia Cup 2025 title in Dubai, completing a hat-trick of one-sided wins against their arch-rivals—once in the group stage, once in the Super Four, and finally in the grand finale.

BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia congratulated the Indian team and lauded both the players and the support staff for their outstanding performance.

“BCCI is extremely happy and we congratulate the Indian cricket team for defeating Pakistan hands down… Our players have delivered magnificently on the cricket pitch, just as our armed forces do at the borders. This is an excellent and momentous occasion for Indian cricket. To honor the team’s glory, we have decided to award a cash prize of ₹21 crore, to be distributed among the players and support staff,” Saikia said.

However, the post-match presentation turned controversial after the Indian side declined to accept the trophy from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Chairman and PCB Chief Mohsin Naqvi.

Explaining the decision, Saikia said, “India is fighting a war with a country, and a leader belonging to that country was supposed to hand over the trophy. We cannot accept a trophy from someone representing a nation waging war against ours. But that does not mean the gentleman can take the trophy and medals to his hotel room. We expect him to return them at the earliest. At least good sense should prevail.”

The BCCI has also announced that it will raise a formal and strong protest during the ICC conference scheduled in Dubai in November, expressing its displeasure over the incident.