'Trophies will be in BCCI office', says Devajit Saikia as the wait for Asia Cup trophies continues

The curious case of India's two missing Asia Cup trophies continues, with BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia saying on Friday that both pieces of silverware will eventually reach the Board's headquarters at the Wankhede Stadium, though he declined to specify when.

The Indian men's and women's teams won their respective Asia Cup titles but refused to receive the trophies from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president Mohsin Naqvi, who also serves as Pakistan's Interior Minister. As a result, neither trophy is currently with the BCCI despite India winning both competitions.

No timeline yet

Speaking after the BCCI's 95th Annual General Meeting in Mumbai, Saikia expressed confidence that the trophies would eventually be brought to the Board's headquarters.

“Asia Cup trophies, we hope they will come one day. I will not give you a timeline, but I can assure you that both the trophies will land up in this office of the BCCI at the Wankhede Stadium,” Saikia told reporters.

The unusual situation began with the men's Asia Cup in Dubai last year. India defeated Pakistan in the final to win the T20 tournament but declined to accept the trophy from Naqvi.

The women's team subsequently found itself in a similar situation after defeating Sri Lanka to capture the Asia Cup earlier this month. The Indian players again declined to receive the trophy from the ACC president, leaving the champions without the physical silverware.

While the BCCI remains confident of eventually taking possession of both trophies, Saikia did not indicate whether discussions with the ACC had produced a breakthrough or when the handover could take place.

Eyes on Asian Games

Saikia also congratulated the Indian women's team for its recent Asia Cup triumph and backed the side to add another major title at the ongoing Asian Games.

India defeated Japan in the quarterfinal on Friday to remain in contention for the gold medal.

“We congratulated our women's team for their superb victory in Dubai last week. They have very nicely won the first match against Japan and we hope that they will win the gold medal in the Asian Games on 22nd of this month,” Saikia said.

The women's team's Asia Cup success and its Asian Games campaign have put the spotlight on a busy period for Indian cricket, with the BCCI hoping the side can follow its continental title with another gold-medal finish.

For the moment, however, the Board's trophy cabinet at the Wankhede continues to have two conspicuous absentees — trophies won on the field but yet to make their way into India's possession.