We never said we wouldn’t take the trophy: Suryakumar Yadav reveals what really happened during Asia Cup presentation ceremony

Suryakumar Yadav has revealed what went behind the scenes during the presentation ceremony after the Asia Cup 2025 final, where India did not receive the trophy.

The India captain said that team India never said they would not take the trophy, adding that individual players collected their respective awards. He also said that the officials took away the trophy.

"We never said we wouldn’t take the trophy. We waited for one and a half hours with phones in hand, ready for photos. Shivam, Kuldeep, Abhishek went for awards, but they took the medals and trophy elsewhere, thinking they had won," Yadav said in an interview with ABP.


A controversy broke out at the presentation when India did not receive the trophy form Pakistan’s Interior Minister and Asian Cricket Council chairman Mohsin Naqvi. The ceremony ended over an hour late without the champions touching the cup, which Naqvi left with.

Players later turned to social media, using emojis to underline the missing trophy. Arshdeep Singh, Jitesh Sharma and Harshit Rana mocked spinner Abrar Ahmed’s head-tilt celebration, while Varun Chakravarthy shared a symbolic tea cup image. Hardik Pandya and others posted pictures with trophy emojis instead of the real prize.

The friction between the teams had been evident throughout the tournament. India’s “No Handshake Policy” drew sharp criticism from Pakistan, with officials even blaming Zimbabwean match referee Andy Pycroft.

Rauf had earlier provoked hostilities in the Super 4 match, responding to chants of “Kohli, Kohli” with taunts and an obscene plane-downing gesture, a repeat of his celebration during the final. The chant was a reference to Virat Kohli’s sixes off Rauf in the 2022 T20 World Cup.

The Indians, however, celebrated their victory without the trophy.