Team India will not participate in upcoming 2025 Men's Asia Cup: Report

The 2025 Men’s Asia Cup, scheduled for September, now faces significant uncertainty following reports that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to pull the Indian cricket team out of the tournament. The move, as reported by The Indian Express, comes amid rising diplomatic and military tensions between India and Pakistan.

According to the report, the BCCI has already conveyed its stance to the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), which is currently chaired by Pakistan’s minister Mohsin Naqvi. The Indian board has also opted out of the Women’s Emerging Teams Asia Cup in Sri Lanka this June, further signalling a broader withdrawal from ACC-organised events.

The backdrop to India’s decision is the worsening geopolitical climate following a deadly terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, last month that killed 26 civilians. In response, India launched “Operation Sindoor”, a targeted military strike on terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and inside Pakistan. The cross-border operation has significantly strained already fraught Indo-Pak relations.

A BCCI official, speaking to The Indian Express, said, “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.”

Uncertain future for the Asia Cup

The Men’s Asia Cup, which was to be hosted in India and played in the T20 format in preparation for the 2026 T20 World Cup, is now in jeopardy. With India as the host and the tournament’s biggest commercial draw, their exit could lead to a cancellation or significant format overhaul. The tournament was expected to feature five teams: India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan.

Given that Indian sponsors contribute the lion’s share of the tournament’s revenue, the withdrawal poses financial as well as sporting challenges for the ACC. Without India’s participation, broadcasters and advertisers may reassess their involvement, potentially rendering the event economically unviable.

This is not the first time political tensions have impacted cricket in the subcontinent. In 2023, the Asia Cup was hosted by Pakistan but had to be played in a “hybrid model” after India refused to travel across the border. All of India’s matches, including the final, were held in Sri Lanka, where they emerged victorious.

A similar model was employed for the ICC Champions Trophy earlier this year, with India playing all its matches in Dubai to avoid travelling to Pakistan.