Asia Cup 2025: ACC President Mohsin Naqvi to Present Trophy, India Yet to Announce Stance

Pakistan’s Interior Minister and ACC chairman Mohsin Naqvi will be there when Pakistan takes on India in the Asia Cup final this Sunday. His presence at the trophy ceremony after the match is likely to get a lot of attention, and fans will also be waiting to see how the Indian team reacts to it. Naqvi, who also leads the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), has to attend the post-final presentation as part of his role as ACC chief. Normally, a board chairman being present at a match is nothing unusual, but because of his past public remarks about India, his presence could turn a simple ceremony into something more sensitive.

As ACC chief, Naqvi has the right to hand over the trophy and join the usual handshake with both teams. But since reports say the Indian team is following a “no handshake” rule with Pakistan, it looks unlikely they will greet a PCB chief who has often spoken against India. So far, the BCCI has not clearly said how it views Naqvi’s presence.

High Tensions Between BCCI and PCB Throughout Asia Cup

Tensions between the two cricket boards have been high throughout the tournament. Naqvi pushed the PCB to claim that match referee Andy Pycroft stopped the teams from exchanging greetings after India’s September 14 win, but the ICC quickly rejected this. Later, Naqvi reportedly tried to get India’s captain Suryakumar Yadav banned from the final, filing serious charges. These were linked to Yadav dedicating India’s victory to the armed forces and showing support to families affected by the Pahalgam terror attack, actions that Naqvi saw as controversial.

"As of now, information is that he would come this evening and obviously as ACC chairman, he will be giving away the winner's trophy. Let's see what the BCCI decides." A source familiar with the tournament, speaking to PTI on condition of anonymity, said.

In the past few days, Naqvi has also shared a cryptic video on ‘X’ showing a Cristiano Ronaldo goal celebration tied to a plane crash. Interestingly, the same gesture was made several times by controversial pacer Haris Rauf during the September 21 game against India, which led to him being fined.

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