The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has informed the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) of its decision to refrain from attending their events in response to the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan. According to reports, the BCCI has decided to withdraw from the Women’s Emerging Teams Asia Cup in Sri Lanka next month and the biennial Men’s Asia Cup in September 2025 in the wake of Operation Sindoor.
Currently, Mohsin Naqvi, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the Interior Minister of Pakistan, serves as the leader of the ACC. Indian Express reports that this action is intended to isolate Pakistani cricket. “The Indian team is unable to participate in a tournament organized by the ACC, whose chief is a Pakistani minister,” a BCCI source disclosed. That is the sentiment of the nation. Our withdrawal from the forthcoming Women’s Emerging Teams Asia Cup has been verbally communicated to ACC, and we have also suspended our future participation in their events. We maintain consistent communication with the Indian government.
India has been the incumbent champion of the Men’s Asia Cup 2023, having secured their eighth Asia Cup title by defeating Sri Lanka. Nevertheless, the Asia Cup 2025 location is now in a state of uncertainty as a result of the ACC’s response, as India was originally scheduled to host the event this year.
Indian Cricket is not only a stakeholder
Based on the trends that have been observed even after the IPL 2025 resumed, the sensitive geopolitical tensions may result in a decrease in viewership. Based on the trends that have been observed even after the IPL 2025 resumed, the sensitive geopolitical tensions may result in a decrease in viewership. The five full members of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) – India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan – each receive 15% of the broadcasting revenue. The remaining share is divided among associate and affiliate members.
This is not the initial instance.
The India-Pak tensions have only been exacerbated since the Pahalgam terror attack, as they are not a new phenomenon. In fact, the BCCI suspended the League for ten days following an emergency outage in Dharamshala during an ongoing IPL 2025 match.. Nevertheless, the only thrilling aspect for supporters is the final-leg playoffs, which have been recommenced.
The 2023 Asia Cup was also influenced by the tensions between India and Pakistan. India declined to travel to Pakistan, despite being the designated host. Consequently, the BCCI arranged for India’s matches to be played in Sri Lanka. The PCB was disappointed by the event, as Pakistan failed to advance to the final and India secured the title by defeating Sri Lanka in Colombo. Pakistan also hosted the 2024 ICC Champions Trophy, which resulted in a comparable scenario. India once more supported a hybrid model and conducted their matches in Dubai.
