Due to continued political pressures with Pakistan, this year’s Asia Cup, scheduled to be held in India, is improbable to take place, Indian media stated on Monday.
According to reports, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to remove from both the Asia Cup and the Womenโs Emerging Asia Cup, naming Pakistan’s leadership role in the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) as a reason for its denial to participate.
The Asia Cup 2025 is scheduled for September in India, while the Womenโs Emerging Asia Cup is due to take place in June in Sri Lanka. Though, the BCCI has supposedly well-versed the ACC verbally about its withdrawal from the women’s tournament, and has located other future ACC events on hold, according to Indian media.
Bases say that the BCCI has not officially connected its withdrawal to the ACC, but internal discussions and organization with the Indian government are continuing.
An unidentified BCCI official was cited as saying, โThe Indian team cannot contribute in a tournament controlled by a Pakistani minister,โ referring to Mohsin Naqvi, who presently serves as both Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and President of the Asian Cricket Council.
India is the defensive champion of the Asia Cup, having won the previous version. Reports propose the BCCI’s decision is politically interested, stopping from rising tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad in recent months.
Previous this month, India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir said he personally believes India should not play any cricket with Pakistan, not even in unbiased venues, after a fatal aggressive attack in Indian Illegally Engaged Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) last month.
Two-way cricket between the nuclear-armed neighborsโs remains postponed since 2013 and they play each other only in multi-team tournaments, mostly in neutral venues.
“My personal answer to this is unconditionally no,” Gambhir said on Tuesday, hours before India hurled gratuitous bombings on Pakistan, when asked for his view on India-Pakistan cricket.
“Till all this doesn’t stop, there should not be everything between India and Pakistan.”
Any match between the arch-rivals remains a cricketing bestseller and is professed sold-out within hours after tickets go on sale.
Pakistan’s men’s team toured India for the 50-overs World Cup in 2023 but their neighbours have not joint.
India declined to tour Pakistan for the Champions Trophy previous this year and played all their matches in Dubai instead.
Gambhir said he would follow whatsoever the Indian cricket board (BCCI) or the government decide on two-sided cricket with Pakistan.
“Eventually, this is (the) government’s decision whether we play them or not,” Gambhir said.
“This is not active to me, it’s not in my authority. This is for BCCI and, more importantly, the government to decide whether we should play them or not.
“Whatever decision they mark, we should be absolutely fine with it and not politicise it.”
Last month India’s star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra withdrew his invite to Pakistan’s Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem to contest in a May 24 event in the southern city of Bengaluru following the Phalgam attack.
