Reports: PCB chairman contacts BCCI regarding Asia Cup sponsorship and broadcast issues

Team India’s participation in the 2025 Asia Cup remains uncertain with only two months to go. Notably, in response to sponsors’ and broadcasters’ concerns, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), led by PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, wrote to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to request clarification on India’s finalisation of the tournament schedule.

Due to the uncertainty surrounding the Men in Blue’s participation, the ACC has communicated to the BCCI the pressure from its sponsorship partners and media. According to Times Now, the ACC stated that the partners’ capacity to efficiently plan, distribute resources, and launch campaigns is being severely hampered by this uncertainty.

“We have learnt that without this information, they are severely limited in their capacity to organise, distribute, and carry out their activities. The media rights partner has also emphasised their commitments under the Agreement, which start 60 and 90 days before the 2025 Tournament starts, in addition to the difficulties they are facing. According to a Times Now article, ACC wrote in its letter to the BCCI, “Our sponsorship rights partner, TCM, have outlined the commercial concerns associated, particularly in terms of timelines required for effective monetisation and activation planning.”

Our partners could allege violations if there are any more delays: ACC

TCM, the sponsorship partner, and Sony, the broadcast partner, have both stated that delays could lead to lost business possibilities, particularly considering the proximity to other significant ICC and global events. The letter further cautioned that extended delays might be interpreted as a violation of the terms of the agreement and could result in demands for discounts or financial claims.

Additionally, Sony and TCM have expressed worry that additional delays could result in lost commercial opportunities that could not be recoverable due to current scheduling and lead-time limits, especially considering the proximity of other significant ICC and worldwide events. We want to allay the worries of our rights holders by finalising the Asia Cup matches this week, especially since the schedules for other big competitions have been confirmed. Further delays, in our opinion, could put our partners at risk of alleging violations of the agreement and requesting a discount,” the letter continued.

Given that the Men’s Asia Cup is the ACC’s primary revenue source, this is very crucial for the organisation.

The BCCI might reply as early as next week in the meantime. A promotion for the Asia Cup was shown during the recent India vs. England Test match, although it did not provide the location or date. Following the terrorist incident in Pahalgam and India’s subsequent reprisal through Operation Sindoor, which damaged Indo-Pak relations, the Asia Cup 2025—which was originally scheduled to be hosted by India—is now anticipated to take place in the United Arab Emirates.

The Asia Cup is expected to begin on September 5 and the India vs. Pakistan match is scheduled for September 7, according to The Times of India. They might play again on September 14 and possibly a third time in the final on September 21 if both teams advance to the Super Four stage. The competition will employ the same T20 structure and format as in 2022 and 2023.