Asia Cup trophy row takes ugly twist: 'We have approached ACC...,' says BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will raise the Asia Cup trophy handover issue at the upcoming International Cricket Council meeting in Dubai on November 4. The controversy arose when India refused to accept the trophy from Pakistan's Interior Minister and Asian Cricket Council Chairman Naqvi after winning the tournament, leading to the trophy being removed from the presentation ceremony without explanation.

The BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia confirmed that India had sent a formal communication to the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) ten days ago regarding the matter but received no response.


"We have approached ACC and we have sent a letter 10 days ago. There is no positive response. We are maintaining the same stand. Therefore, we will raise the issue at the ICC meeting, which begins on November 4 in Dubai. The trophy will come, and that is for certain, because this trophy has been won by India hands down. Only the timeline has to be fixed," Saikia told ANI.

The BCCI secretary further emphasised their stance on not accepting the trophy from Pakistan's Interior Minister.

"If we had to take it from him, then we would have taken it on that day of the final. Our stance is evident: we are not accepting it from that gentleman. So, there is no change of stand on the part of BCCI. We are not accepting the trophy from the ACC Chairman, who is the Interior Minister of Pakistan. Therefore, it has to come but not from his hands," he added.

Despite the controversy surrounding the trophy presentation, the Indian team found their own way to celebrate their victory. Captain Suryakumar Yadav and his teammates celebrated by mimicking former captain Rohit Sharma's slow walk from the T20 World Cup final in 2024, lifting an imaginary trophy.

The refusal to accept the trophy came amid ongoing cross-border tensions between India and Pakistan, following India's five-wicket victory in the tournament.
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