The Asia Cup 2025 is around the corner, but now it has taken an unexpected turn by becoming a focal point of a heated controversy. This particular controversy yet again touches upon the tension between India and Pakistan. Cricket traditionally serves as a bridge between these two countries. But some of the recent events have created geopolitical strains between the nations, which has also impacted their bonding over cricket too. As we can see, the conflict over the Asia Cup between these two nations is scheduled to happen on September 14th, 2025. This blog unpacks the multi-layered aspects of this controversy, offering a nuanced examination of the political, social, and cricketing dimensions entangled in this high-stakes scenario.
Background Of Turmoil Between India vs Pakistan
The Asia Cup 2025 is going to be hosted in the United Arab Emirates. This will going to bring together Asia’s top cricketing nations. Especially for India Vs Pakistan, who are two of cricket’s fiercest rivals, are set to face off in the Group A Stage. However, the plans of play against each other in the Asia Cup 2025 now have slight changes after the conflict happened between these countries. Their dynamics have changed after the catastrophic Pahalgam Terror attack, which took place in April 2025. In that attack, there are at least 26 people who have lost their lives in it. This is because of a deadly assault allegedly executed by Pakistan-backed militants.
This attack again refreshes the long going conflict between these countries for ages. To take revenge pf this attack, India launched “Operation Sindoor” targeting terrorist camps in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. Previously also there have also been many attacks which were done by Pakistan against India. These attacks always continue the war-like situation in those countries.
Conflict Over Asia Cup Participation From India Vs Pakistan
After this deadly attack, Many Indian politicians, former cricketers, and fans have called for a boycott of India’s Matches against Pakistan. The match is all set to be held on 14th September 2025. All of those people who are criticizing the match are considered disrespectful ot the Indian Army and soldiers who have sacrificed their lives to save our country. Foreign players of the country, like Harbhajan Singh, Kedar Jadhav urged India not to play.
But on the other hand, the controlling board, BCCI ( Board of Control for Cricket India), insists India will participate in the tournament. This is because of contractual and commercial reasons.
Harbhajan Singh, who has already boycotted a match against the Pakistan cricket team in the World Championship Legends earlier this year, desperately argues against playing Pakistan, stating “Khoon Aur Paani Ek Saath Nahi Beh Sakti”. With that, he emphasized the sacrifices that we mentioned above.
Similarly, Former cricketer Kedar Yadav claimed with confidence that India would not play against Pakistan, asserting that the match “should not be played at all“.
Politicians, including Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi and Lok Sabha MP Sukhdeo Bhagat, have also criticized BCCI over their decision to play the tournament. Former India captain Mohammad Azharuddin suggested that if India avoids bilateral series with Pakistan, it should also skip multinational events for consistency.
The BCCI’s Dilemma Over Asia Cup 2025
As we are all aware that BCCI is the ruling cricket body of India and one of the biggest Cricket organisations in the whole country. They had confirmed the entry of the Indian National Cricket Team into the Asia Cup despite facing backlashes. They made this commitment during the Asian Cup Council, which took place in Dhaka on July 24, 2025. In defence, they say, the Asia Cup 2025, unlike the WCL, is an official ACC event, and withdrawing could have significant consequences. Sources indicate that a boycott would result in a walkover, granting Pakistan full points and potentially jeopardizing India’s chances in the tournament.
Moreover, the financial stakes are important as India Vs Pakistan Matches are the most lucrative fixtures in cricket for cricket fans. Even the broadcaster also expects high viewership and advertising revenue.
Past Pulled Out From Pakistan In Asia Cup Over The Conflict
There are some instances which has happened in the Past that led to India and Pakistan’s withdrawal from the Asia Cup. In the Past, India has withdrawn from the Asia Cup 2025 tournament due to the tension, a precedent for boycott-driven conflicts. Especially in 1986, when India was led by Kapil Dev. During this time, India pulled out themselves the Asia Cup hosted by Sri Lanka amid the Sri-Lankan civil war.
However, in the year 1990, Pakistan, under Javed Miandad, withdrew from the tournament hosted by India. This is because of the conflict over Kashmir with India. These instances highlight how political and security concerns have historically disrupted the India-Pakistan cricket rivalry, with the 1990 withdrawal directly linked to bilateral strains, reducing viewership and impacting the tournament’s quality.
Written by: Raman
Audited by: Anchal
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