Asia Cup 2025 / Will India and Pakistan clash in Asia Cup? BCCI requested the Indian government...

Asia Cup 2025: The Asia Cup 2025 to be hosted by India is currently under the shadow of uncertainty. This much-awaited tournament is proposed in September this year, but its status is not clear just three months before the event. If this tournament is not held on time, then the chances of its organization will be very less, because after this all the teams already have a busy schedule.

Controversy over Pakistan's absence from the poster

Sony Sports Network, the official broadcaster of the Asia Cup, recently released a promo poster, which showed the T20 captains of India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, but there was no representation of Pakistan. This spread like fire on social media and questions arose whether Pakistan is out of the tournament or it has been deliberately ignored.

India-Pak match will be held only after permission from the government

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has indicated that it will seek guidelines from the Government of India regarding Asia Cup 2025. Given the recent tension in India-Pakistan relations, no decision will be taken without the approval of the government.

After the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir on 22 April, India targeted terrorist hideouts in Pakistan under Operation Sindoor. Since then, the relations between the two countries have soured further. Although ceasefire is in force on the border, its effect is clearly visible on cricket diplomacy.

Alternative hosting of Pakistan's matches?

At present, the Pakistan team may get an offer to play matches in Colombo or Dubai, but till now BCCI has not held any talks with Sri Lanka Cricket or Emirates Cricket Board on this subject. It is noteworthy that India is hosting the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 in October, in which all the matches of Pakistan will be held in Sri Lanka.

Asia Cup will be in T20 format

Asia Cup will be played in T20 format this time, so that preparations can be made for the T20 World Cup to be held in February-March 2026. According to a BCCI official, there has been no discussion on boycotting the matches as of now. If the government allows, India and Pakistan can face off—as has been the case in ICC events.

Pressure on ACC and media rights

PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi is currently the head of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and Arun Dhumal (IPL chairman) is a member of the ACC board from India. According to reports, if the tournament is cancelled, broadcaster Sony Sports, which has spent a whopping $170 million on media rights, may seek compensation.

Will the tournament happen on time?

At present, the picture of Asia Cup 2025 is unclear. An official announcement from the BCCI is awaited and the situation regarding Pakistan is also not clear. It will be decided based on political circumstances and diplomatic decisions whether the world will be able to see another India-Pakistan mega-match or not.