India and Sri Lanka were scheduled to host the Asia Cup 2025. However, defending champions India have reportedly withdrawn from the tournament. Due to rising tensions with Pakistan, the Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) has decided that India will neither host nor participate in the 2025 Asia Cup.
This year’s tournament was set to be jointly hosted by Sri Lanka and India. Meanwhile, the Women’s Emerging Teams Asia Cup, which was planned to be held in Sri Lanka next month, has reportedly been canceled due to the ongoing conflict between India and Pakistan.
BCCI Notifies ACC of Withdrawal of Indian Men’s and Women’s Teams from Asia Cup Tournaments
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has informed the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) of its decision to withdraw both the Indian men’s and women’s teams from upcoming Asia Cup tournaments. A final call regarding the September edition of the Men’s Asia Cup will be taken at the next ACC meeting, which is chaired by Mohsin Naqvi, head of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
According to sources, this move is part of a broader effort to isolate Pakistan cricket. The Indian team cannot participate in a tournament organized by the ACC when its chairman is a Pakistani minister. That’s the prevailing sentiment in the country,” a BCCI official told The Express. “We have verbally communicated to the ACC that we will not be participating in the upcoming Women’s Emerging Teams Asia Cup. Our future involvement in ACC events is also currently on hold. We are in continuous consultation with the government,” the official added.
Sources further noted that the BCCI is aware of critical role in international cricket sponsorships, implying that an Asia Cup without unlikely to succeed. Broadcasters, especially, would lose interest in the tournament without the high-profile India-Pakistan clash.
In 2024, Sony Pictures Networks (SPNI) paid $170 million for the broadcasting rights to the Asia Cup for eight years. If the tournament doesn’t take place, the deal will need to be renegotiated.
Currently, the ACC’s five full members, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan — each receive 15% of the broadcast revenue, with the remaining share distributed among associate and affiliate members.
India and Pakistan have not toured each other’s countries in recent years. Pakistan didn’t travel to for the 2018 Asia Cup, and skipped the 2023 Asia Cup held in Pakistan, as well as the upcoming 2025 ICC Champions Trophy. Although reached and won the final of the 2023 Asia Cup, the title match had to be hosted outside of Pakistan, denying them the opportunity to hold the final on home soil.
