IND Vs PAK, Asia Cup Trophy Controversy: BCCI Ex-Officio Stages Protest, Leaves ACC Meeting - Report

The standoff over the Asia Cup trophy deepened this week as Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) representatives staged a walkout from the Asian Cricket Council’s (ACC) online board meeting.

The protest came after BCCI’s Ashish Shelar, attending as an ex-officio, failed to get clarity on when India would receive the winners’ trophy and medals from their victory over Pakistan in Sunday’s final.

According to The Indian Express report, Shelar raised the issue with ACC president and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi but did not receive a satisfactory reply.

“Shelar informed members that the BCCI secretary Devajit Sakia has already written to ACC about the same but there has been no response. The BCCI wants the trophy and medals to be delivered to ACC’s office in Dubai from where the Indian board will get it collected. However, Shelar didn’t get a positive response for the same. So Shelar and Shukla decided to quit the meeting marking their protest,” a top BCCI official told the paper.

The official further said Naqvi "didn’t extend his congratulations to the Indian officials for winning the title" in his opening remarks.

The Hindu reported that BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla and Shelar, who joined the meeting virtually, logged out after Naqvi did not propose formally handing over the trophy and winners’ medallions to India.

With their exit, the ACC board refrained from passing any resolution on the matter.

An insider told the publication the discord began right at the start: “The ACC chief in his opening address did not congratulate the Indian team for winning the tournament. The BCCI forced him to insert these remarks. And once he didn’t offer to respectfully present the Indian team with the trophy and the medals, the BCCI strongly protested and logged out of the meeting.”

The dispute follows an already chaotic conclusion to the tournament. On the day of the final in Dubai, India’s captain Suryakumar Yadav had refused to shake hands with Pakistan skipper Salman Agha at the toss.

Later, the presentation ceremony was delayed by nearly 90 minutes as India declined to accept the trophy from Naqvi. ACC officials eventually removed the silverware from the venue, leaving the champions without medals or the customary trophy lift.

India’s 2025 Asia Cup triumph, their third against Pakistan in the competition, has thus been overshadowed by a political and administrative impasse.

With both the BCCI and PCB locked in a fresh dispute just months after renewed border tensions between the two countries, the row has once again highlighted how Indo-Pak cricket struggles to stay clear of larger geopolitical flashpoints.