In a major development, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has withdrawn from all of its Asia Cup commitments. With India and Pakistan at loggerheads, the decision may not be surprising, but India were slated to host a T20 format Asia Cup later this year.
The BCCI has communicated to the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) that it will not participate in the Women’s Emerging Teams Asia Cup in Sri Lanka next month, and has also pulled out of the Men’s Asia Cup scheduled for September. The ACC is currently chaired by Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who also heads the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
No More India at Asia Cup?
As per the IndianExpress sources, this move aligns with a broader stance of distancing Indian cricket from Pakistan. “The Indian team can’t play in a tournament that is organised by the ACC whose chief is a Pakistan minister. That’s the sentiment of the nation. We have verbally communicated to ACC about our withdrawal from the upcoming Women’s Emerging Teams Asia Cup, and our future participation in their events too is on hold. We are in constant touch with the Indian government,” a board official stated.
Mohsin Naqvi assumed the role of ACC chairman after India’s Jay Shah became the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) chairman. Now, Sunil Gavaskar’s take on ACC getting disbanded might hold true in the near future!
India’s absence puts the future of the Men’s Asia Cup in serious doubt. Broadcasters and sponsors — many of whom are based in India — have heavily invested in the tournament, largely banking on high-profile clashes like India vs Pakistan. Sony Pictures Networks India, the current rights holder, had signed an eight-year deal worth $170 million in 2024. The five full ACC members (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan) each receive 15% of broadcasting revenue, with the remaining amount distributed among associate and affiliate members.
The Sony Sports Network would definitely be agitated if the Asia Cup doesn’t go as planned. They could already face some diminishing numbers, given that both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma won’t be part of the upcoming England vs India Test series.
This isn’t the first time geopolitical tensions have impacted the Asia Cup. In 2023, India refused to travel to Pakistan and played their matches in Sri Lanka instead. A similar arrangement was followed during the 2024 ICC Champions Trophy, where India played in Dubai and eventually won the tournament, while Pakistan missed out on hosting the final.
