Since announcement of Asia Cup 2025 schedule, India-Pakistan clash has been at the center of controversy.
The much-awaited encounter is scheduled for September 14 in Dubai, but calls for its cancellation have gained momentum across India, with political groups also joining the protest.
This raises the key question-does the BCCI have the authority to call off the match?
Can BCCI stop IND vs PAK Asia Cup game?
The answer is no. BCCI Secretary Devjit Saikia clarified that the board will only act according to the Government of India’s directives.
As per the official policy, India will face Pakistan only in multilateral tournaments, not in bilateral series. Union Minister Anurag Thakur also reiterated this stance.
“When multinational tournaments are organised by ACC or ICC, it becomes a compulsion, a necessity for nations to participate. If they don’t do that, they will be eliminated from the tournament, they will have to forfeit the match, and the other team will get the points,” said Thakur.
Anurag Thakur firmly underlined that New Delhi’s stance on bilateral series against Pakistan has been constant over the years.
“But India doesn’t play bilateral tournaments with Pakistan. We have made this decision for years that India won’t play bilateral tournaments with Pakistan until Pakistan stops terrorist attacks on India,” he added.
Meanwhile, opposition parties have criticized the government, and a plea to stop the match was even filed in the Supreme Court, but it was dismissed. For now, the India-Pakistan showdown on September 14 in Dubai remains on schedule.
Shiv Sena to stage protest against India-Pakistan clash
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray declared that his party would stage a protest against the upcoming India-Pakistan clash on Sunday, asserting that ‘cricket and bloodshed cannot go hand in hand.’
At the same time, the Maharashtra Congress also opposed IND-PAK match on Friday, terming it disrespectful to the families of those who lost their lives in the Pahalgam terror attack as well as to the soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the nation.