India and Pakistan will square off in the Gold Medal match on Saturday.
Asian Cricket Council (ACC) President Mohsin Naqvi will not visit Japan on Saturday (October 3) for the Gold Medal match between India and Pakistan in the men’s cricket event at the Asian Games 2026.
"ACC President, Mr Mohsin Naqvi, will miss Finals Day at Asian Games 2026 due to prior commitments, but sends his very best wishes to all four teams ahead of the Gold and Bronze Medal Matches," the ACC said in a post on X.
"Wishing all the participants the very best ahead of gold and bronze medal matches at the Asian Games 2026. Commitments will keep me away from Nagoya. But I will be looking forward to some thrilling action," Naqvi was quoted as saying in that post.
While the arch-rivals will lock horns in the final, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will square off in the Bronze Medal match. Both fixtures will be played at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin.
In recent ACC tournaments, Indian teams have refused to collect the trophy from Naqvi, who is also Pakistan's Interior Minister and PCB chief.
The Harmanpreet Kaur-led Indian side skipped the podium ceremony entirely after winning the Women’s Asia Cup final last month as the ACC boss remained firm on presenting the trophy himself.
This move mirrored the stance taken by the Indian men’s cricket team during the 2025 Men's Asia Cup, where they similarly refused to accept the trophy from Naqvi due to heightened tensions following the Pahalgam terror attack and retaliatory Operation Sindoor.
There were also concerns over Naqvi, as the ACC sporting head, presenting medals after the Gold Medal match at the Asian Games. His absence will now certainly avoid any contentious situation.
Meanwhile, Indian fans brutally trolled Mohsin Naqvi after he publicly announced his decision to skip the Asian Games final. While some called the ACC chief “Trophy Chor”, others suggested that he doesn’t want to face any more embarrassment knowing that India will thrash Pakistan once again.
Here are the reactions:
A day after the Women’s Asia Cup 2026 final, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia had clarified that it was a "firm institutional decision" not to receive the trophy from Naqvi.
“Our position had been communicated to the ACC in advance that the Indian team would not participate in the trophy presentation under the circumstances. Given the circumstances and the sentiments prevailing in the country, the BCCI felt that it would not be appropriate for the team to receive the trophy in the proposed manner,” Saikia had told PTI.
“This was a firm institutional decision, reflective of the position we have maintained, and was not directed at the players, the tournament or the sport,” he added.