Asia Cup 2025: September Start Looms as Optimism Surges Despite India-Pakistan Tensions

The Asia Cup saga may be nearing a resolution. While definitive conclusions remain premature, a palpable sense of optimism now surrounds the continental championship, a significant shift from the previous uncertainty fueled by tensions between India and Pakistan.

India were champions of the previous edition of the Asia Cup in 2023 © Getty

Although concrete details are still pending, a formal decision is anticipated next week. The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) is reportedly aiming to release the schedule for the six-team tournament in early July, coinciding with a planned meeting.

The ACC is reportedly aiming for a mid-September start, potentially around September 10, if everything proceeds as planned. The tournament will be contested in the T20 format. India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and the UAE are expected to participate. Promotional activities for the tournament are already underway.

The UAE remains the leading candidate to host the Asia Cup. However, discussions are also exploring a hybrid hosting model. While India is the designated host, prior ACC decisions stipulate that when India or Pakistan are scheduled to host the Asia Cup, a neutral venue is preferred.

The tournament's future was initially clouded following the terror attack in Pahalgam in April. The situation was further complicated by India's Operation Sindoor against Pakistan in May, raising concerns about the tournament's viability. Calls for India to boycott Pakistan in multilateral events also intensified. Notably, India does not currently engage in bilateral cricket with Pakistan. There were speculations that India's potential boycott of Pakistan in global events would be addressed in the upcoming ICC meeting.

Recent developments in international cricket suggest a potential shift in direction. The International Cricket Council (ICC) recently unveiled the schedules for two significant global events: the Women's ODI World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, and the Women's T20 World Cup in England. India and Pakistan are slated to compete against each other in both tournaments, first on October 5 in Colombo and subsequently on June 14 at Edgbaston.

While officials from the BCCI, ACC, and ICC have refrained from public statements on the matter, indications suggest that cricketing relations between the two rivals will persist, at least within the framework of global events. These matches are major revenue generators for global cricket. While India and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) may not heavily rely on the revenue generated from these high-profile encounters, governing bodies such as the ICC, the ACC, and their member boards do.