MUMBAI – Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is considering to withdraw from both Asia Cup 2025 and the Women’s Emerging Asia Cup amid India-Pakistan tensions, the local media reported on Monday.
The move is reportedly due to Pakistan’s leadership within the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) as Mohsin Naqvi currently heads both the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the ACC.
While the Women’s Emerging Asia Cup is scheduled to take place in June in Sri Lanka, the Asia Cup 2025 is planned for September in India. However, the sources suggest that the BCCI has already conveyed informally to the ACC that it does not intend to participate in the women’s tournament.
No official letter has been issued yet but the BCCI is said to be in consultation with the Indian government on the matter.
A senior BCCI official, speaking anonymously, reportedly stated that India is not prepared to compete in any tournament overseen by a Pakistani official.
India, the reigning Asia Cup champion, appears to be opting out of ACC events due to recent political tensions with Islamabad, which have escalated in recent months.
Earlier this month, Indian cricket team head coach Gautam Gambhir made headlines by expressing his personal stance that India should avoid cricketing engagements with Pakistan including at neutral venues. His comments came shortly after a deadly militant attack in Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, which further strained bilateral relations.
“There should be no sporting ties until such incidents stop,” Gambhir said, just hours before India carried out unprovoked airstrikes across the border.
Since 2013, bilateral cricket between the two nuclear-armed neighbors has been on hold, with both sides only meeting during ICC or ACC multi-nation tournaments.
India last hosted Pakistan during the 2023 ICC Men’s World Cup, but has since declined to send its team to Pakistan, including for this year’s ICC Champions Trophy. Instead, India played all its matches at a neutral venue in the UAE.
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