BCCI Takes Bold Step After Pahalgam Attack, Seeks Changes in Pakistan Groupings; Asia Cup Venue Uncertain

After the recent Pahalgam attack, rumours have started to circulate that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has reached out to the International Cricket Council (ICC), asking that India and Pakistan not be placed in the same group in future ICC tournaments. However, there has been no official confirmation from either the BCCI or the ICC regarding this request.

As per a Cricbuzz report, the BCCI doesn’t want India and Pakistan to be placed in the same group for ICC events anymore. Still, both teams will take part in the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup, where every team plays each other once. Since Pakistan isn’t playing any matches in India due to an earlier agreement between the ICC, PCB, and BCCI, a neutral venue for their games is yet to be decided by the hosts.

Earlier, BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla said that the board would go by whatever the Indian government decides. But according to Cricbuzz, BCCI officials haven’t made any statements about the issue and are not expected to talk about it anytime soon.

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The next men’s ICC tournament is set for 2026, with India and Sri Lanka hosting the T20 World Cup between February and March. But before that, the BCCI is more focused on the Asia Cup, scheduled for September with India as the official host. Earlier, Cricbuzz had reported that the entire tournament might be moved to a neutral venue with Dubai and Sri Lanka being considered as possible options.

Whether the Asia Cup will be held in Dubai or Sri Lanka is less important than how the teams are grouped. The bigger issue is the media rights deal. The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) sold the media rights for the tournament, worth $170 million over four editions based on an unofficial understanding that each edition would feature at least two India-Pakistan matches with a potential third if the teams meet in the final. The deal is structured so that the middle editions are more expensive meaning the 2025 Asia Cup is expected to cost around $38 million, rather than the average $42.5 million per edition.

The last edition of the Asia Cup took place in 2023, just before the ODI World Cup. It followed a hybrid model where India and Pakistan were placed in the same group and the two teams faced each other twice during the tournament once in the league stage and again in the Super Four. Unfortunately, their second clash was washed out, and Pakistan didn’t make it to the final. India, however, went on to win the tournament defeating Sri Lanka in the final to lift the trophy.

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