With the Asian Cricket Council announcing the schedule for the Asia Cup, including the “Blockbuster fixture” India-Pakistan match, Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi has hit out at the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI), saying that resuming cricket ties with Islamabad at this point amounts to earning “cursed money”.
The Asian Cricket Council has announced that the Asia Cup will be played from September 9-28 in the UAE. India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, UAE, Oman, and Hong Kong will participate in the tournament. Among the highlights, the Asian Cricket Council has mentioned an India-Pakistan clash on September 14, calling it the “blockbuster fixture” of the series. It says the two sides may potentially face off in the Super Four round and the final too.
“We are confident that the 2025 edition will not only set new standards for excellence but also deepen the connection between the game and millions of passionate supporters across the continent,” the Asian Cricket Council has said.
The announcement has come at a time when a large section of Indians are against resuming cricket ties with Pakistan in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 innocents were murdered in cold blood by Pakistan-backed terrorists.
Voicing her protest, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said, “When money is more important than the blood of our fellow Indians and our men in uniform. Shame on GoI (Government of India) for being a hypocrite on Operation Sindoor. And dear BCCI- this is not just blood money that you’ll seek to earn but also cursed money,” she said.
Ms Chaturvedi said every sponsor, broadcaster and streaming platform that tries to make money from the India-Pakistan match must be named and shamed. “I ask the @MIB_India and @GoI_MeitY to ban all the streaming apps and broadcast channels that show the India/Pak match live. Or will they buckle too?” she said.
Earlier, Indian stars refused to play Pakistan in the World Championship of Legends after the Yuvraj Singh-led team reached the semi-finals and the Pakistan team was awarded the match. Indian fans welcomed the decision.
According to a report by news agency PTI, quoting a sports ministry source, the government cannot stop BCCI from sending the Indian team to a tournament where Pakistan is also a participant. “As of now, the BCCI does not come under the purview of the sports ministry as the National Sports Governance Bill is still to be passed. So, the ministry doesn’t have a say, but we will wait and see how the BCCI responds to public sentiment,” the source said.
While the ministry has said any bilateral sports engagement with Pakistan is “out of question”, it would go by the Olympic Charter for multilateral contests. The Charter prohibits discrimination based on political issues and following it is crucial to India’s bid to host the 2036 Olympics.