Asia Cup Trophy Row Triggers PCB Player Ban

India completed a 3-0 sweep to win the Asia Cup 2025, but the post-match presentation became a diplomatic row after the winning side refused to accept the trophy and ACC chairman (and Pakistan PCB chief and Pakistan interior minister) Mohsin Naqvi walked away with it. Naqvi denied apologising, called reports “fabricated nonsense,” and said India are welcome to collect the cup from the ACC office in Dubai, while other reports say the trophy may now be with the Emirates Cricket Board and custody remains unresolved. At an ACC AGM in Dubai, BCCI representatives Rajeev Shukla and Ashish Shelar demanded the trophy be placed in ACC custody, signalled they will raise the matter at the ICC meeting, and accused Naqvi of breaching protocol and politicising cricket amid calls from some quarters for his impeachment. The episode underscored broader India–Pakistan tensions — including teams refusing handshakes and recent cross-border violence — and drew criticism from figures like AB de Villiers, who urged keeping sport separate from geopolitics while praising India’s tournament and Tilak Varma. In a separate but related escalation, the Pakistan Cricket Board abruptly banned its players from overseas T20 leagues after the Asia Cup, threatening Big Bash League 2025–26 signings such as Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi and Mohammad Rizwan and prompting urgent talks between Cricket Australia and the PCB.