The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has reportedly written to the International Cricket Council (ICC) since the Pahalgam attacks, asking that India and Pakistan not be placed in the same group in future international games. There are facts and alternate facts, as is the case with many such issues.
For the record, Rajeev Shukla, the vice president of the BCCI, has previously stated that the Board will heed the government’s advise in this regard. A senior BCCI official also told Cricbuzz that he was unaware of this development. Although the BCCI officials are cognisant of the national sentiment at the moment, the rumours are unfounded.
The Women’s ODI World Cup, which is slated to take place in India in September and October, is the earliest ICC tournament currently scheduled. The eight-team competition is played in an all-play-all round-robin format without any groupings, and Pakistan has qualified for it.
Pakistan’s matches will take place in a neutral location in accordance with the pre-tournament agreement. There is still time before a definitive selection is made, but the BCCI, as the authorised host, will need to choose that location. In addition to India and Pakistan, the eight teams are Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh.
However, the BCCI is the designated host of the men’s Asia Cup, which takes place prior to the ODI Women’s World Cup. September is the designated timeframe, and it has been determined that it would take place in a neutral nation, as Cricbuzz originally reported.
It is of scholarly importance if the continental championship will take place in Sri Lanka or Dubai; the tournament grouping is more important. Based on an unofficial agreement that each edition will have at least two India-Pakistan matches, with the potential for a third if the countries face off in the final, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) auctioned the media rights for the Asia Cup, which is valued at $170 million for four editions. The 2025 edition would cost about $38 million, rather than the average of $42.5 million, because the media rights deal is middle-heavy rather than front- or back-loaded.
India and Pakistan were assigned to the same group in the most recent Asia Cup, which was played under a hybrid format in 2023. Both the league stage and the Super Four saw the two teams play each other. Pakistan, meanwhile, did not make it to the final, and the second match was rained out. After defeating Sri Lanka in the final, India raised the trophy.
Although the location for the next edition has not yet been revealed, Cricbuzz is aware that the draw was originally anticipated to happen in May. But now that there is enough time left, it can be postponed. It is widely believed that the outcome of any final decision would depend on how much tensions between India and Pakistan continue to rise or fall.
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