Asia Cup 2025: BCCI shares why govt cleared India vs Pakistan match and why a full boycott isn’t possible

The Asia Cup 2025 will begin on September 9. India and Pakistan are in the same group and are scheduled to play on September 14. Earlier, there was speculation that India might skip the match. However, after a considerable delay, it was confirmed that the game would take place as planned. BCCI has broken the silence over the issues and shared why the Indian team was allowed to play against Pakistan in the multi-nation tournament.

BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, speaking to NDTV, said, “Cricket or any other sport in which the Indian team is involved, the sports department of the central government has set guidelines and policies. While framing the policy, I believe the central government has taken very careful decisions in preparing guidelines to help the national sports federations. According to that, we can take a call on participation in any multi-team tournament.”

Why complete boycott of Pakistan is not possible

Saikia explained why a complete boycott of Pakistan in sports is not possible. He said that if India refuses to play Pakistan in a multi-team event, the Asian Cricket Council or ICC could take strict action. He also pointed out that such a decision could impact the future of young players.

He said, “The central government has taken into account all factors, including the interests of the federations and the concerns of players. If there is a multi-team tournament and a team does not participate, then a particular federation could even face a ban. In that case, young players and their careers will be ruined.”

No bilateral series with Pakistan

India has not played a bilateral cricket series with Pakistan for several years. The government has made it clear that this will continue across sports. However, India will face Pakistan in multi-nation tournaments if the schedule requires.

Since both teams are in the same group, one match is confirmed for September 14. If both qualify for the Super 4 stage, they will meet again on September 21. If they also reach the final, India and Pakistan could face each other three times in the tournament.