Asia Cup 2025 in Jeopardy Amid India-Pakistan Tensions

NEW DELHI – The fate of this year’s Asia Cup hangs in the balance following recent cross-border clashes between tournament hosts India and long-time rivals Pakistan, casting fresh uncertainty over the high-profile cricket event.

Scheduled to take place in September, the T20 edition of the Asia Cup—an Asian Cricket Council (ACC) flagship tournament—is now clouded by the deteriorating political and military climate between the nuclear-armed neighbours. A recent flare-up in hostilities lasted four days before a ceasefire was declared last month, further straining already-fraught ties.

A senior official of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), speaking to Reuters, declined to confirm whether the tournament would proceed as planned. “To be honest, we have had no discussions within the board about the Asia Cup,” the official said, adding that the BCCI’s immediate focus remains on the Indian Premier League and the national team’s tour of England.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) was equally non-committal about its team’s participation. “We will cross that bridge when we come to it,” the board said in a brief statement to Reuters.

ACC President Mohsin Naqvi—who also chairs the PCB—was unavailable for comment.

The uncertainty surrounding the men’s Asia Cup comes just as the ACC announced the postponement of the Women’s Emerging Asia Cup, originally scheduled to begin this week in Sri Lanka. The official reason cited was severe weather conditions and the outbreak of the viral disease chikungunya in the host country.

Meanwhile, India is set to host the Women’s 50-over World Cup later this year, though Pakistan will play all their matches in Sri Lanka under an arrangement with the International Cricket Council (ICC), following India’s refusal to allow Pakistani players on its soil.

India had earlier declined to travel to Pakistan for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, opting instead to play all matches—including the final—at a neutral venue in Dubai.

Read more: ICC Announces Schedule and Venues for Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025

Bilateral cricket between India and Pakistan has remained suspended since 2013. The two teams only face off in multi-nation tournaments. India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir, reflecting the prevailing sentiment in New Delhi, recently stated his opposition to playing Pakistan—even at neutral venues—but said he would follow whatever decision the BCCI makes.

As diplomatic and military tensions persist, cricket once again finds itself entangled in geopolitics, putting the Asia Cup’s future at risk.