Dubai: Indian T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav announced that he would donate his match fees from all games of the T20 Asia Cup to the Indian Army, following India’s five-wicket victory over Pakistan in the Asia Cup Final at Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
A brilliant half-century from Tilak Varma, combined with crucial contributions from Sanju Samson and Shivam Dube, helped India secure their second T20 Asia Cup title and ninth overall across all formats. The thrilling final saw India edge past Pakistan by five wickets.
“I want to give my match fees from all the games I played in this tournament to the Indian Army,” Suryakumar Yadav said during the post-match press conference.
During the presentation ceremony, Pakistan received their runners-up medals, while Tilak Varma and Abhishek Sharma were awarded ‘Player of the Match’ and ‘Player of the Tournament,’ respectively. However, Indian players did not collect their medals or trophy. Former New Zealand cricketer Simon Doull, the presenter, announced live on air:
“Ladies and gentlemen, I have been informed by the Asian Cricket Council that the Indian cricket team will not be collecting their awards tonight. This concludes the post-match presentation.”
Expressing his disappointment, Yadav said, “I have never seen a champion team denied a trophy, and this was a hard-earned one. We played two strong games back-to-back and truly deserved it. But the real trophies are the players and support staff. The memories of this journey will stay with me forever.”
Despite the absence of trophies and medals, Suryakumar and Team India celebrated their victory with fireworks and posed for photos, replicating former captain Rohit Sharma’s iconic slow-walk celebration from the T20 World Cup 2024.
Match Summary: India won the toss and opted to field. An 84-run partnership between Sahidzada Farhan (57 off 38 balls) and Fakhar Zaman (46 off 35 balls) gave Pakistan a strong start. However, spinners Kuldeep Yadav (4/30) and Varun Chakravarthy (2/30) triggered a collapse, reducing Pakistan from 113/1 to 146 all out in 19.1 overs, with Jasprit Bumrah claiming the final two wickets (2/25).
During the chase, India slumped to 20/3 after early strikes from Faheem Ashraf (3/29). Tilak Varma (69* off 53 balls) anchored a 57-run partnership with Sanju Samson (24 off 21) and later combined with Shivam Dube (33 off 22) to secure India’s hold on the game. Rinku Singh, making his Asia Cup debut, hit the winning runs on the first ball.
