New Delhi: Following the tensions between India and Pakistan, there were few doubts about the Asia Cup 2025. The tournament was in jeopardy after relations between both countries hit a new low after the Pahalgam attack.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) received several calls to boycott all matches against Pakistan in the ICC and ACC tournaments. However, according to a Cricbuzz report, India and Pakistan are set to clash as the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) is hopeful of releasing the tournament’s schedule in the first week of July.
As per the report, nothing concrete has been decided so far, and the formal decision on the tournament could be taken next week. If all goes according to plan, the ACC is looking to start the tournament in the second week of September.
The Asia Cup 2025 is likely to start on September 10 and will be played in the T20 format. Along with India and Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and the UAE are also set to participate in the six-team tournament and promotional activities for it have already begun.
The Cricbuzz report also states that there are discussions going around staging the tournament in the hybrid format. India is the designated host of the 2025 Asia Cup, but the ACC had decided that whenever India and Pakistan’s turn comes to host the tournament, it would be played in a neutral venue.
BCCI declines reports of pulling out of Asia Cup
Earlier, it was reported that the BCCI might pull out of the Asia Cup as calls grew for India to boycott Pakistan in multi-nation tournaments after the terror attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir, which killed 26 tourists. The matters further escalated when India launched Operation Sindoor, targeting terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
The BCCI secretary, Devajit Saikia told Hindustan Times that the Asia Cup matter or any other ACC event issue has not come up for discussion at any level and any news or report on that is purely speculative and imaginary.