The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary, Devajit Saikia, has dropped a massive update on them receiving the Asia Cup 2025 trophy from ACC chairman, Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the interior minister of Pakistan. Naqvi didn’t give the trophy to the Suryakumar Yadav-led side after they refused to collect it from his hands.

The entire Asia Cup 2025 has seen several controversies regarding the India vs Pakistan clashes due to the Pahalgam terror attack in the middle of the year. India’s captain didn’t shake hands at the toss, and the trend continued even after earning victory in the fixtures till the final.

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"Yes, we are a little bit unhappy with the way the trophy has not been given to us, even after a month. We are pursuing this matter. About 10 days ago, we also wrote a letter to the chairman of ACC, but there is no change in their stand. They are still keeping the trophy under their custody, but we hope that the trophy will reach us in a day or two at the BCCI office in Mumbai.” Devajit Saikia told the PTI videos.

Devajit Saikia updates on when India will receive their Asia Cup 2025 trophy

Saikia mentioned that if the trophy is not handed over to the BCCI soon, then they would take the issue to the International Cricket Council (ICC) in the upcoming meeting, which is scheduled to take place on November 04 in Dubai.

“On behalf of BCCI, we are fully prepared for how to deal with the matter, and I can assure the people of India that the trophy will come back to India; only the timeline is not fixed. One day it will come. We have won all matches against Pakistan and won the trophy. We have won the championship. Everything is on record. Only the trophy is missing.” Saikia addressed.

The presentation ceremony took place in the final, but the Indian team didn’t receive the trophy from Naqvi. They were seen celebrating without the title on the stage at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

After a delay of about one hour, when Team India was waiting to collect their silverware at the podium, shocking reports started to come from the Dubai International Stadium.

India won the Asia Cup 2025 final against Pakistan by 5 wickets, with Rinku Singh hitting the winning runs and Tilak Varma being the man of the match for his unbeaten 69 off 53. It was the team India's record breaking 9th Asia Cup title winning moment.

The Men in Blue with the shining trophy would be a memorable frame, but guess what, there was no trophy! As reports came late at night, Asian Cricket Council chief Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the head of the Pakistan Cricket Board and Interior Minister of his country, walked out of the stadium with the trophy, which was a 'very childish' act according to BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia.

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BCCI to take strong steps against Naqvi's Asia Cup 2025 trophy act

Through a media brief, Saikia clarified that Team India refused to take the prestigious trophy from a person who is "waging a war against the country." He also said that, against Naqvi's trophy act, BCCI will lodge a "very strong protest" in the next ICC meeting in November. 

"We have decided not to take the Asia Cup 2025 trophy from the ACC chairman, who happens to be one of the main leaders of Pakistan. So we decided not to take it from him. But that does not mean that the gentleman will take away the trophy with him, along with the medals. So it is very unfortunate, and we hope that the trophy and the medals will be returned to India as soon as possible... There is an ICC conference in November in Dubai. In the next conference, we are going to launch a very serious and very strong protest against the act of the ACC chairperson," BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia said. 

The Assam Cricket Association (ACA), in a very kind and empathetic manner, will remember the unforgettable music icon Zubeen Garg at the opening ceremony of the ICC Women's World Cup 2025 in Guwahati. BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said that a specially made 40-minute program would revolve around the life and works of the lovingly called Assamese and Bollywood singer of the world.

Zubeen Garg's sudden demise has left the entire state of Assam and the nation in mourning. The state was so emotionally charged that it came to a halt as fans turned up in large numbers to pay their respects to the "Heartthrob of Assam," showing how much people's lives were tethered to the singer. 

Across India and beyond, tributes to Garg have come in from artists, admirers, and officials expressing their feelings about Garg's contributions to music. Indian cricket star Riyan Parag expressed his grief over the loss in a touching post on Instagram as he described how Garg impacted the lives and thoughts of all types of people.

Celebrating a Cultural Icon

BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia confirmed that the first day program at Barsapara Stadium on September 30, before the India vs Sri Lanka match, is going to be a special one with the attendance of a tribute concert to Zubeen Garg’s memory. Zubeen not only had a wonderful singing career but also was a cultural phenomenon and was heavily popular among the youth because of his trendsetting music, be it Assamese folk or Bollywood popular songs. 

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The function will definitely add to the charm with a great voice appearance of playback singer Shreya Ghoshal, one of the main stars of the music event. With the dedication to Garg's memory, the opening ceremony is expected to be a wonderful and emotional inaugural experience of the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025.

There have been several calls to boycott the clash between India and Pakistan in the ongoing Asia Cup 2025, scheduled to take place on September 14 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. On the social platforms, many have called for ignoring the contest due to the Pahalgam terror attack.

The BCCI secretary, Devajit Saikia, has hoped that the Suryakumar Yadav-led side will aim to give a befitting reply to the neighbours. He addressed that the Blue Brigade won’t be able to skip the multinational event because it would be against the spirit of the game.

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“For tomorrow's game, BCCI wishes all the best to the Indian cricket team. They will do their best to win the match so that it can be a befitting reply to all the incidents which we don't want to remember for long. India, although it has to play with a country with which we don't have a good relationship. But still, we have to play a multinational tournament as per the policy of the government of India.” Saikia expressed during an interaction on India Today.

Devajit Saikia comments on controversial India vs Pakistan clash of Men’s Asia Cup 2025

India is coming into this encounter on the back of their dominating victory against the United Arab Emirates, where they chased down the target of 58 runs in just 27 balls. Their spinner didn’t allow the opponent batters to free their arms at any stage of the fixture, and they will hope to repeat the same feat against the Salman Ali Agha-led side.

“Therefore, we cannot refuse to play a multinational tournament, which will be against the spirit of the game. We fully honor the spirit of the game and participate in any international or multinational tournament so that nothing takes place against the interests of our players and in our various sports disciplines.” Saikia shed light in the same discussion. 

On the eve of the clash, their assistant coach, Ryan Ten Doeschate, revealed head coach Gautam Gambhir’s message for the encounter. “We obviously are aware of the sentiments and the strong feelings. And Gauti's (Gambhir's nickname) message has just been very professional, about not worrying about things that are not in our control.” Doeschate concluded.

The Asia Cup 2025 is less than a week away from starting. Just before the start of the upcoming T20 Asia Cup, a massive update has emerged regarding the highly anticipated India vs Pakistan clashes in the competition. 

Since 2013, India and Pakistan haven't played any bilateral cricket series due to the long-standing political and security tensions between the two countries. They now only meet in the ICC or ACC tournaments. However, the present situation is rougher since the 2025 Pahalgam attack. Many of India-Pakistan relations have been affected after that, including the India Champions refusing to play against Pakistan Champions in the World Championship of Legends 2025 twice, including the Semi-final. 

While other India vs Pakistan sports have also been affected, India and Pakistan are ready to face each other in the Asia Cup 2025, which the United Arab Emirates will host from September 9 to 28. Although India is the original host of the tournament, due to India-Pakistan political and security tensions, the tournament has been shifted.

As India and Pakistan are in the same group in the Asia Cup 2025 (Group A), they can face each other three times in the tournament if both teams reach the Final of the tournament. Apart from their obvious Group A fixture on September 14, they can also face each other on September 21 in the Super Four and September 28 in the Final.

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India have to play all the matches in any multinational tournament: BCCI secretary

But in the present situation, many Indians are demanding a boycott of any relationship with Pakistan, including the upcoming Asia Cup matches. Although the Indian government is always against any bilateral sporting ties with Pakistan, it hasn't put any restrictions on the India-Pakistan meeting in any international tournaments. Meanwhile, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary Devajit Saikia has confirmed that there is no restriction for India to face any team in a multinational tournament, as they will play all the matches in the upcoming Asia Cup 2025.

Saikia told ANI, “As far as the BCCI's view is concerned, we have to follow whatever the central government formalises. Recently, our policy, which is in place, regarding India's participation in any multinational tournament or international tournament, there is no restrictions imposed by the central government whether we play any of the countries which are not on good terms with India. So India have to play all the matches in any multinational tournament.

Fantasy sports company Dream11 recently shut down its real-money games after the central government passed the Online Gaming Bill 2025 in both houses of the parliament. They have now initiated discussions with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) that it won’t be able to continue as the lead sponsor of the Blue Brigade ahead of the upcoming Asia Cup 2025, which is going to begin on September 09. 

Dream11 has a deal of INR 358 with the BCCI from 2023-26. Between them, Dream11 and My11Circle contribute nearly INR 1000 crore to the BCCI through the sponsorship of the Indian teams and the Indian Premier League (IPL). The BCCI secretary, Devajit Saikia, has given an update on that.

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“Looking at the current situation and keeping in mind that the bill has become an act, it would be really difficult for BCCI to continue with Dream11. So, the association with Dream11 is over, and BCCI will look for the future course of action (new sponsor).” Saikia expressed during a recent interaction.

Devajit Saikia provides update on new sponsorship ahead of Asia Cup 2025

The Dream11 firm isn’t going to face any penalty as the ongoing contract has a clause that protects the sponsor if the business faces a ban from the government. They don’t have to make any further payments to the BCCI for the remainder of the contract.

“We have always been a law-abiding company and have always conducted our business in compliance with the law. While we believe that progressive law would have been the way forward, we will respect the law and fully comply with the 'Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill 2025.” The former title sponsor of the Indian side stated, as quoted by Sports Tak.

“The writing was always on the cards once the real money gaming was banned in the bill. That itself accounts for at least 90% of the revenue of all major players in the fantasy market.” The fantasy gaming industry shed light, as reported by the PTI. “The next interesting phase will be what My11Circle, which pays Rs 125 crore annually to BCCI for being the official fantasy partner of IPL, does?”

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has shared an emotional note for India’s long-time number three Test batter, Cheteshwar Pujara, who tried to fill the huge shoes of Rahul Dravid at number three but couldn’t get the required consistency with the bat in the longest format. Pujara, who played his last red-ball clash for the nationals ide in June 2023, retired from all forms of Indian cricket.

The BCCI looked back on his famous 2018/19 BGT series against Australia down under, where Pujara’s contribution of 521 runs in four games, facing more than 1200 balls, was a huge contributor with the bat, His 56 runs in Brisbane 2021 on the next trip displayed his skills of resilience and laid foundation for their series victory.

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“Cheteshwar Pujara’s career is a shining example of perseverance and selflessness. He personified the spirit of Test cricket. His ability to grind opposition attacks and his immense powers of concentration made him the bulwark of India’s batting.” The BCCI secretary, Devajit Saikia, expressed on the 37-year-old.

BCCI secretary shares special message for Cheteshwar Pujara

The veteran, who made his debut in late 2010 against Australia, finished as the eighth leading run-getter of the national side in the longest format with 7195 runs at an average of 43.60, thanks to 19 centuries and 35 half-centuries. His legacy will remain clear, having continuously played under pressure against classical attacks.

“He showed that it was possible to succeed at the highest level while staying true to traditional values of the game. His commitment to Indian cricket, both at the international and domestic levels, has been outstanding. We thank him for everything he has given to the game and to the country.” Saikia shed light on that emotional note.

“I would like to thank the BCCI and Saurashtra Cricket Association for the opportunity and support through my cricket career. I am equally grateful to all the teams, franchises, and counties I have been able to represent over the years.” The Rajkot-born said in the message he shared on his social media accounts. During the recent five-match away series in England, Pujara worked as an expert on multiple networks.

Following the tragic stampede incident that unfolded during RCB's bus parade event on June 4, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had no alternative but to spring into action. Their main objective is now directed towards devising sophisticated crowd control measures to bolster public safety during team victory parades. In response to this sensitive issue, the governing body has mobilized a three-member committee who are now tasked with revamping the existing guidelines aimed at minimizing stampede-like incidents from happening in the future. 

BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia has been appointed as the chairperson, while Prabhtej Singh Bhatia will be the treasurer. Rajeev Shukla, the BCCI vice-president, will be the third member in that committee. 

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BCCI issues a statement on appointing a three-member committee

On June 14, 2025, the BCCI released a statement pertaining to RCB's victory day celebrations that had gone horribly wrong. In a bid to eliminate such mishaps going forward, the Apex body confirmed the formation of a committee that will be tasked with formulating robust crowd control guidelines in the interest of public safety. Considering the urgency of the issue, it is believed that the committee will have to adhere to an aggressive timeline and will need to get the job done in the next 15 days. 

"In light of the incident that occurred during the victory celebrations in Bengaluru, the Apex Council has decided to constitute a committee to formulate comprehensive guidelines aimed at preventing such occurrences in the future."

RCB's glory day turned into a shocking nightmare as 11 lives were lost and several others suffered significant injuries as the crowd went haywire to capture a glimpse of their superstars outside the M. Chinnaswamy stadium. To tackle this problem, the franchise announced a relief package of INR 10 lakhs to all the families who lost their loved ones during the stampede. 

In the meantime, the BCCI also finalized the schedule for the Indian domestic season this year. The dates for India's 2025-26 domestic season were finalized during the Apex Council Meeting. The domestic season will kick off with the Duleep Trophy, which will begin on August 28, 2025. The Ranji season will be split into two phases; the first will commence on October 15 and the other will begin on November 19. 

In the wake of the devastating stampede at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium during Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) IPL 2025 win celebrations, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has issued a big move. The tragic incident, which left 11 dead and some others injured, occurred as thousands of people had come to celebrate RCB's first IPL title. Following public outcry and grief, the issue was addressed by BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, who promised preventive measures against such incidents in the future.

Talking to News18, Saikia explained, "Whatever has happened is very unfortunate. But we don't want to play the guilty game now." He explained that the official jurisdiction of the BCCI over the IPL is till the award presentation ceremony, and after that, franchises usually arrange their own celebrations. But due to the scale of the tragedy, Saikia announced that the board will now be implementing advisories to prevent such incidents in the future.

He went on to say, "From now on we will attempt to impose at least some advisory so that such incidents do not occur." This is a significant change in BCCI's policy on post-tournament activities, reflecting the board's readiness to intervene with instructions, even when not otherwise responsible, to guarantee the safety of participants and spectators during celebration of wins. 

BCCI Acts with Safety Regulations After Stampede Disaster

The stampede, which happened in the backdrop of congestion and lack of management during RCB's jubilant event, has initiated a national debate on the necessity for enhanced safety measures at large-scale cricket tournaments. With urban areas increasingly seeing huge turnouts at such events, experts have identified the need for better coordination between franchises, local administrations, and governing boards as a pressing priority.

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BCCI's forthcoming advisories are expected to outline crowd control measures, security protocols, and logistical planning recommendations. Although the board has kept away from making a direct accusation, its move is an attempt to be proactive about not repeating such a tragic event in the future. The decision has been received by many as a good step in the direction of fan safety and the uprightness of the sport.

Amidst increasing speculation on whether India will participate in this year's Asia Cup, following tensions with Pakistan, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia dismissed reports India were withdrawing, saying the matter was yet to be "discussed".

India are set to host the six-team tournament in T20 format but the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), which organises the Asia Cup, has yet to finalise the schedule or the venue. September has been informally taken as the window.

"The Asia Cup issue or any other issue of ACC event has not been discussed at any level," Saikia has stated on Monday. ". up to this point, BCCI has not even debated or initiated any such process about forthcoming ACC events, let alone penning something to the ACC. At present, our top priority is the current IPL and later England series, men and women."Saikia informed that the BCCI had not conveyed any decision to the ACC regarding India taking part in Asia Cup as well as Women's Emerging Asia Cup in Sri Lanka in June.

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What happened in last Asia Cup ?

In the last edition of Asia Cup hosted by Pakistan, India declined to cross the border. Therefore, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has no choice but to stage the tournament in hybrid style with nine matches, including the final, to be hosted by Sri Lanka. The first four matches were hosted in Pakistan. The same pattern was followed earlier this year when the ICC Champions Trophy was held in Pakistan. India hosted all their matches in Dubai, including the final against New Zealand, which the Men in Blue won after 12 years.

As the 2025 Asia Cup looms, these issues still need to be addressed. If India continues to cancel visits to Pakistan, the ACC might again have to discuss a hybrid or alternative model of hosting. In the meantime, the PCB is pushing for outright hosting rights, claiming that part-hosting erodes their sovereignty and integrity as an international destination. IndiWith political and security interests ongoing to shape cricketing choices, the game is still in the middle of it all. Whether cricket shall be a bridge or an indicator of India-Pakistan's divide only the tournaments to come will tell.