The Asia Cup trophy would be comfortably resting with the 2018 trophy won under the captaincy of the Indian team of Rohit Sharma at the BCCI headquarters. As it happens, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) trophy of 2025 will now be safely locked in the office in Dubai, where it will collect as much dust as glory.
What led to this? A strange administrative stalemate. The Indian team, which triumphed in Dubai on September 28, was reportedly unwilling to accept the trophy from Mohsin Naqvi, the ACC President and PCB Chairman, who insisted on the trophy being handed over to them personally by himself. This act of defiance, in itself trivial but enormous in its symbolism, has now become a full-fledged bureaucratic cold war.
The matter pending is over the annual general meeting of the Asian Cricket Council, to be held in early November, and regarding which Naqvi’s presence is uncertain; it has now assumed not the function of a matter of form, but one of cricket diplomacy.
When Ceremony Meets Sovereignty
Trophies in cricket are more than just metal or marble; they are emblems of credibility. For India not to accept the Asia Cup from Naqvi was not about pride; it was about principles. Given the continuing political and logistical chill between the BCCI and PCB, India’s decision marks a clear indication that they will not let a symbolic gesture reign over the principle of sovereignty. Accepting a trophy under a cover of politically tinted comments would smack of tacit acquiescence to the very conditions from which they are seeking to extract themselves.
The irony, of course, is that the Asia Cup was supposed to be the reconciliation, not the obliteration, of the cricketing ties between nations. But here we are, discussing whom to hand a trophy to instead of celebrating who won it.
Naqvi’s Absence and the ACC’s Credibility Test
Mohsin Naqvi’s double role as head of the PCB and ACC puts him in a uniquely compromised situation. His absence from any of the major ICC events early in the year raised eyebrows — and now, his potential absence from the ACC meeting in November is likely to prolong the impasse. What message does that give about the entire governance structure of Asian cricket if its president is unable to bring about a resolution in this council, for which he is himself responsible?
The efficiency of the ACC is now at stake, and its ability to present a neutral front will be critical, a neutral front that has already been under the microscope quietly ever since the hybrid Asia Cup hosted in 2023. In short, it is not merely a question of a trophy being delayed; this is now a stress test of the ACC’s diplomatic backbone.
BCCI’s Patience or Power Play?
As was expected, the BCCI has kept its public response muted. But in that silence lies a lot of leverage. The financial and scheduling clout of Indian cricket over ACC events is prodigiously well known and should this develop into a longer issue, expect subtle guffaws about that power in future tic-toc on the issue of both calendar control or hosting rights.
Officially again, Indian officials do not see that the stakes require much urgency on our part. Each day that the trophy remains in Ego Palace in Dubai, it reminds everyone how pathetic the state of current affairs is, and in games of perception, patience is often the most potent form of protest.
Even if India does eventually get the trophy at the November meetings, it will be a victory not only for the team but for cricketing common sense. If the stalemate continues, however, the loser will not be any particular board but Asian cricket itself, whose unity is becoming increasingly ornamental.
Key Takeaway:
The Asia Cup trophy isn’t missing; it’s hostage to cricket politics that care more about protocol than the players who actually won it.
Disclaimer: This blog post reflects the author’s personal insights and analysis. Readers are encouraged to consider the perspectives shared and draw their own conclusions.
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