Sport will not transcend national security concerns. In a stern message, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided that its senior men’s team will consciously stay away from the Asia Cup this year. The BCCI is not willing to host the tournament either.
Certain media outlets have attributed this development to the ongoing standoff between the two neighbours.
The BCCI’s stance mirrors India’s sentiment following military and diplomatic tensions with Pakistan. It doesn’t matter that cricket’s greatest money-spinner, India-Pakistan combat, is irrelevant as of now.
A section of the media has indicated that India has already conveyed its decision to the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) — currently chaired by Pakistan Cricket Board chief Mohsin Naqvi — ahead of the formal meeting scheduled to finalise plans for the Men’s Asia Cup in September. Without India’s participation, the very existence of the tournament hangs in the balance. If scrapped, financial losses will fall squarely on Naqvi, who holds the ACC chairmanship.
The tournament was supposed to be hosted jointly by India and Sri Lanka.
The ripple effect of India’s decision has begun. The Women’s Emerging Teams Asia Cup, scheduled for next month in Sri Lanka, has reportedly been cancelled, though the BCCI has not yet issued an official statement at the time of this article’s publishing.
The implications are not just sporting but deeply commercial. Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI), which acquired media rights for Asia Cup events in 2024 in a staggering USD 170 million deal over eight years, now faces a major blow. The September tournament had been allotted a 19-day window, with broadcasters eyeing high ad revenues from at least two high-voltage India-Pakistan matches, including a potential final — now rendered improbable.
This is not the first time India has distanced itself from Pakistan-hosted events. The 2023 Asia Cup, while officially held in Pakistan, saw all Indian matches, including the final, staged in Sri Lanka under a hybrid model. A similar approach was taken for the ICC Champions Trophy, where India played all its fixtures in Dubai, avoiding travel to Pakistan.
India has thus strengthened its policy of boycotting Pakistan in cricket. Whether this marks a long-term severing of cricketing ties or just a tactical pause remains to be seen.
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