‘Trophy chor’ comes back again: Fans chant at Mohsin Naqvi after India women’s Asia Cup triumph | Cricket News

‘Trophy chor, trophy chor’ echoed around the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday as Mohsin Naqvi walked away from the presentation dais after India’s 72-run win over Sri Lanka in the Women’s Asia Cup final.India had secured a record-extending eighth Women’s Asia Cup title, but Harmanpreet Kaur and her teammates did not collect the trophy from Naqvi, the Asian Cricket Council president and Pakistan Cricket Board chairman.Naqvi remained on the presentation stage and handed the runners-up cheque to Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu. The Indian team did not come forward to receive the trophy from him, and Naqvi had to leave the stadium without handing over the trophy.The chant was a callback to the controversy that followed the men’s Asia Cup final in 2025.India had defeated Pakistan in the final in Dubai, but the post-match presentation was delayed by more than an hour. The Indian players were left waiting for their trophy and medals, while visuals showed the Asia Cup trophy being taken away from the presentation area.The episode triggered a wave of criticism and trolling aimed at Naqvi, with ‘Trophy chor’ becoming a recurring label used against him.The same chant was heard at the Dubai stadium on Sunday when he was leaving the stadium after the Indian women declined to receive the trophy from Naqvi.WATCH:BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia subsequently explained why the Indian players had refused to take the trophy from Naqvi.“Our men’s team won the Asia Cup a year and a half ago. And our whole situation, since the April 2025 Pahalgam incident, changed after that. So, after that, there was pressure on us from our citizens that we shouldn’t keep any relations with our neighboring country and not play cricket with them. But our government has a policy that we must play against every country in multinational tournaments…”“But that doesn’t mean we will follow every condition laid out for us. Our military conflict is still ongoing. One of the main leaders who is working against the interests of our country; we can’t receive the trophy from him. The Women’s team has expressed solidarity with the decision taken by the men’s team last year,” Saikia told IANS.Naqvi had been seated in the Royal Box alongside BCCI vice-president Rajiv Shukla and Saikia during the match. The visuals of the officials speaking with Naqvi also drew attention after the presentation.Saikia said the interaction was part of the normal protocol during the match.“It’s not as if we wouldn’t meet anyone. I was sitting outside in the Royal Box seats right from the toss until the end of the game. Having sat there, I remained in that same place throughout the match. Everyone who came met me during the match; someone sat next to me, then Shukla came and sat with me. The person you mentioned also came and sat alongside Deputy Chairman Khalid (Khalid Al Zarooni) sahib. That’s just a normal tradition—whenever anyone comes, we meet and talk with everyone.”Saikia said an effort had been made to resolve the trophy presentation issue, but it did not succeed.“We tried to solve today’s situation, but our efforts were not successful. We don’t have any regrets. Our ultimate priority and ambition was not to focus on who would give the trophy. We wanted the Indian team to win and we’ve achieved that.”