India clinched their ninth Asia Cup title with a thrilling five-wicket victory over Pakistan in Dubai, but the real shock came after the match — not from the game, but from the prize announcements.

The Asian Cricket Council (ACC), which had raised the official winners’ purse to USD 300,000 (₹2.6 crore) for this edition, awarded India the cheque as per rules. However, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) went much further, announcing a ₹21 crore reward for the champions — nearly eight times the official prize money.

BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia called it a “big reward” for the unbeaten Indian side and confirmed the fund would be shared among players and support staff. The massive gesture once again underlined the financial clout of the Indian board, which has a history of overshadowing official tournament purses. For context, after India won the T20 World Cup 2024, the ICC’s official prize money was just over ₹20 crore, but the BCCI awarded the team a whopping ₹125 crore.

On the field, India’s bowlers sparked a dramatic Pakistani collapse from 84 for no loss to 146 all out, with Kuldeep Yadav’s four-wicket burst doing the damage. In the chase, the top order faltered, but Tilak Varma’s unbeaten 69 and Shivam Dube’s quick 33 steered India home in the final over.

For Pakistan, the runners-up cheque of USD 150,000 (₹1.3 crore approx.) provided little relief compared to the gulf created by BCCI’s announcement.

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