BCCI vs PCB Power Tussle Throws Asia Cup Into Further Doubt. Report Claims 'Geopolitical' Factor

This year's Asia Cup T20 tournament, which is supposed to take place in September, is facing a lot of uncertainty. After the Pahalgam terror attack in April, diplomatic relation between India and Pakistan has taken a hit. It has meant that sporting relations between the two countries has also come to a standstill. On Sunday, an India vs Pakistan match at the World Championship of Legends was cancelled after several Indian players pulled out. Meanwhile, several reports have claimed Pakistan government will not allow its hockey team to travel to India for next month's Asia Cup.   

Even cricket Asia Cup is in doubt. India are the designated host for the tournament, and the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) is yet to announce the schedule or the venue of the tournament. The rumour mill has pencilled September as the unofficial window for the tournament.  The meeting to decide the schedule was supposed to take place on July 24 in Dhaka. But, India refused to travel for the meeting. Recently, BCCI and BCB mutually decided to defer India's tour of Bangladesh from August 2025 to September 2026.

The ACC is headed by the PCB chairman and Pakistan's interior minister, Mohsin Naqvi. According to an ANI source, Naqvi is attempting to exert "unnecessary pressure" on India regarding the meeting. The source also confirmed that BCCI asked the body's president to change the venue, but has yet to receive a response.

In the midst of this, a report in Cricbuzz has said that the ACC meeting has turned into a geopolitical issue.

"It now seems the event has turned into a geopolitical matter. Aminul (Islam, the interim head of the BCB) could have handled the situation more carefully when approached by the PCB president to host the meeting," the report quoted an insider as saying.

"I think he could have taken more time because, in situations like this, taking time is part of the game. Probably due to inexperience, he agreed to host it without fully understanding the geopolitical implications."

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team Pakistan Cricket Team BCCI Pakistan Cricket Board Cricket