UAE Likely to Host Asia Cup 2025 in September, BCCI Awaits Government Clearance

A recent Asia Cup 2025 promo poster has sparked quite a bit of chatter online mainly because it only featured India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. The noticeable absence of Pakistan led to plenty of speculation that they might not be part of the tournament. With the event set to be hosted by the BCCI and considering the ongoing political tensions between India and Pakistan, some fans believe this could be a hint at what’s to come.

According to Cricket Pakistan, the Asia Cup 2025 is scheduled to take place from September 12 to 28. But since the BCCI and PCB agreed last year that India and Pakistan would only face each other at neutral venues, their match won’t be played in India. Among the possible co-hosts, the UAE and Sri Lanka were considered, and it now looks like the UAE has been finalised. This wouldn’t be a surprise, as India’s matches in the Champions Trophy were also held in Dubai when Pakistan hosted that tournament.

Sony’s Asia Cup Promo Omits Pakistan Captain, Fueling Speculation

Back in the 2023 edition, India’s matches were played in Sri Lanka under a hybrid model because of the same political tensions. Now, it looks like both India and Pakistan have once again agreed to avoid playing on each other’s home soil. Instead, they’ll stick to neutral venues a trend that started with this year’s Champions Trophy and is slowly becoming the new normal whenever these two teams meet.

Last year, Sony Pictures Network India bought the media rights for all ACC tournaments from 2024 to 2031 in a big $170 million deal. This includes the Men’s and Women’s Asia Cups, as well as U-19 and Emerging tournaments. Recently, there were rumours that India might skip the Asia Cup, but the BCCI denied them. Still, fans noticed something unusual in Sony’s latest promo only showed the captains of India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, while Pakistan’s captain was missing, which has raised a few eyebrows.

According to sources, the ICC recently placed India and Pakistan in the same group for the Women’s World Cup without any objections, which has led many to believe that India is likely to take part in the Asia Cup as well. However, if India were to skip a match against Pakistan, the PCB might respond similarly in future tournaments, creating a tricky situation. Replacing India in the Asia Cup wouldn’t be easy either, given the major broadcasting and financial stakes. It’s also worth noting that the current ACC Chairman is PCB Chief Mohsin Naqvi, and the Women’s Emerging Asia Cup, originally scheduled to start in Sri Lanka on June 6, was postponed due to bad weather.

India’s Asia Cup 2025 Participation Unclear Amid Government Nod Awaited

The biggest question still hanging over the Asia Cup 2025 is India’s participation. Last month, BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia dismissed rumours that India would skip the 8-team tournament. However, as per a report by PTI, the BCCI is currently waiting for a response from the Indian government before making a final call. 

“There is no discussion or even a remote thought about boycotting matches. We play Pakistan in ICC events, and that will continue unless the government says otherwise. As for the Asia Cup, we’ll have clarity in the coming days,” a BCCI official told PTI.

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