Suryakumar Yadav BREAKS silence on India being denied Asia Cup trophy; donates match fee to Indian Army, Pahalgam victims

After India defeated Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2025, Indian T20 skipper Suryakumar Yadav paid a heartfelt tribute to the Indian Army and the Pahalgam victims. India’s T20 captain announced that he would donate his match fees from all the games of the T20 Asia Cup to the Indian army and victims of the April 22 Pahalgam attack.

Suryakumar Yadav donates Asia Cup match fee to Indian Army, Pahalgam victims

“I have decided to donate my match fees from this tournament to support our Armed Forces and the families of the victims who suffered from the Pahalgam terror attack. You always remain in my thoughts. Jai Hind,” Suryakumar wrote on X(formerly known as Twitter). He had also announced in the post-match press conference.

Suryakumar Yadav would donate a sum of Rs 28 lakh, which he is entitled to from the seven games played in the tournament. For the unversed, the players from the Indian team earn a match fee of Rs 4 lakh for each game in the T20 format.

Team India secured their second T20I Asia Cup title and overall ninth title, including the ODI editions, beating Pakistan by five wickets in a nail-biting final at Dubai on Sunday. However, skipper Suryakumar Yadav and the entire Team India celebrated their triumph without any trophies or medals.

Suryakumar Yadav breaks his silence after India denied Asia Cup trophy

Over this incident, Suryakumar Yadav expressed disappointment, stating that he had never seen a champion team denied a trophy. He also praised India's strong performances and felt that they truly deserved the trophy. "This is something I have never seen in all my years of playing and following cricket. A champion team was denied a trophy, and it was a hard-earned one. It was not easy. We played two strong games on back-to-back days. I felt we truly deserved it. I do not want to say much more," Suryakumar told reporters.

"If you ask me about trophies, I have 14 of them in my dressing room. The players and the support staff are the real trophies. I have been a big admirer of them throughout this Asia Cup journey. Those are the real memories I am taking back, and they will stay with me forever," he added.

Meanwhile, Suryakumar replicated ex-T20I skipper Rohit Sharma's slow-walk T20 World Cup 2024 winning celebration with the rest of the team, with fireworks going off in the background, while posing for the cameras.