Bhaskar reaches Dubai but Asia Cup trophy still missing:Office locked, 68 days on with no clarity, is BCCI’s campaign on hold?

Trophy…call it an honour or the fruit of the players’ hard work. A player works hard all year, then receives a trophy or medal after a victory. It becomes even more special when received after defeating Pakistan. However, the world’s most powerful cricket board, BCCI, is proving unsuccessful in securing this honour of the Indian cricket team. Moreover, the board has also put this issue on the back burner. 68 days have passed, but India has not yet received the trophy. In search of the trophy, Bhaskar reporter reached the office of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) located in Dubai. There was no staff present. The office was empty. Our correspondent did not find the Asia Cup trophy in the outer 2 rooms of the ACC office, which is located on the first floor of the ICC Academy. ACC Chief Mohsin Naqvi’s cabin is also here, which was closed. It is difficult to say whether the trophy is in the ACC Chief’s chamber or not. Where is the Asia Cup 2026 trophy? A month ago, a BCCI official had stated that the trophy was in Abu Dhabi. This information came to light when he visited the ACC headquarters. The BCCI official went to the ACC office and asked where the Asia Cup trophy was and the staff there informed him that the trophy was now with Mohsin Naqvi in Abu Dhabi. However, it has not been confirmed whether the trophy is in Abu Dhabi or if Naqvi has taken it with him to Pakistan. Final discussion on trophy between IND-PAK in ICC meeting The trophy was discussed for the last time in the ICC board meeting. This meeting took place from November 4 to 7. On November 8, BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia had said – “I was part of both official and unofficial meetings of the ICC. PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi was also present.” “This issue was not on the agenda in the formal meeting, but the ICC arranged a separate meeting between me and the PCB chief. A senior ICC official and another senior officer were also present,” he added. “Both sides will work on some solution to resolve this issue as soon as possible. Now that the ice has melted, many options will be considered. Options will also come from the other side, and we will also provide our options to resolve this issue and reach a mutually agreed solution.” Is BCCI’s campaign to reclaim the trophy on hold? Yes, top BCCI officials are not emphasising bringing the trophy back. Because, India has to host the T20 World Cup with Sri Lanka next year. BCCI does not want the Asia Cup trophy dispute to escalate further. Or for any new dispute to arise with PCB and affect the atmosphere of the upcoming World Cup. What is the full dispute regarding the Asia Cup trophy? After defeating Pakistan in the Asia Cup final on September 28, the Indian team refused to accept the Asia Cup trophy from PCB Chief Naqvi. Angered by this, the ACC Chief, who is also Pakistan’s Interior Minister, took the trophy and left.