India is once again on the brink of war with its neighbour, Pakistan. India launched Operation Sindoor, eliminating terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Jammu & Kashmir in the aftermath of a cowardly terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 tourists. India’s response prompted Pakistan to retaliate. But the timing from a cricket context could not have been worse. India is set to host the Asia Cup in August-September 2025, the Women’s ODI World Cup in September-October and the T20 World Cup in February-March 2026.
While India is still not at war with Pakistan officially, all three events are now in jeopardy. Neither BCCI nor the ICC has confirmed if the events will be impacted in the current situation. ICC, led by former BCCI secretary Jay Shah, is keeping a close tab, and so is the BCCI. The Asian Cricket Council is now headed by Pakistan Cricket Board chief Mohsin Naqvi, who is also a cabinet minister.
“We don’t know yet. The situation is evolving, and we still have 4-5 months left for Asia Cup and the Women’s World Cup. There has been no discussion with the ICC regarding shifting the venues or postponing it. We are monitoring the situation and so is ICC. We will take a call when it’s appropriate,” a BCCI official told InsideSport.
Future of India vs Pakistan cricket
War, act of terrorism, or cross-border terrorism has never foiled India vs Pakistan cricket, barring the 1971 war. It took seven long years for the two countries to play cricket again. India toured Pakistan in 1978.
The Kargil war in 1999 happened a month after the 1999 World Cup in England. But within seven months, India played a tri-series with Pakistan and Australia in Australia.
After the 26/11 terror attack in Mumbai in 2008, India played Pakistan in the ICC Champions Trophy. However, since 2008, India has refused to play Pakistan in any bilateral series. IND vs PAK cricket has been limited to the Asia Cup and ICC events only. But the rivalry, ACC and ICC’s biggest cash cow, never stopped.
After the Pathankot attack in 2016, India hosted T20 World Cup and Pakistan visited India. Uri attack followed in September 2016, and India still faced Pakistan in the Champions Trophy again.
In fact, despite the cross-border tensions following India’s surgical strikes in Pakistan, there was no impact on cricket. India continued to face Pakistan in ACC and ICC events, including hosting the Pakistan cricket team in India for the 2023 World Cup.
However, things are different now. It is unlikely that the Indian government will allow the national team to play Pakistan in any cricket event. But BCCI is playing the wait-and-see game, waiting for the Indian govt’s guidance.
Former cricketers, including Sourav Ganguly and current India head coach Gautam Gambhir, have opposed to IND vs PAK cricket. BCCI Vice-President Rajeev Shukla has already announced that even though there will be no bilateral matches, BCCI will follow the Indian government’s advice on ICC events.
IND vs PAK cricket amid tension
| War/Terror Attack | IND vs PAK cricket | |||
| Location | Date | Series | Date | Location |
| 1965 War | Aug 5-Sep 23 | No cricket till 1978 | ||
| 1971 War | Dec 3-16 | No cricket till 1978 | ||
| 1986-87 Standoff | Nov 16-March 6 | Champions Trophy | Dec 5, 1986 | UAE |
| Pakistan tour of India | Jan 27-March 26, 1987 | India | ||
| Mumbai serial blasts | March 12, 1993 | Austral-Asia Cup | April 15, 2004 | UAE |
| 1999 Kargil War | May 3-July 26 | 1999 World Cup | June 8, 1999 | England |
| Tri-Series | Jan 10-28, 2000 | Australia | ||
| 2001 Parliament Attack | Dec 13, 2001 | No cricket till 2003 | ||
| Akshardham temple attack | Sep 24, 2002 | World Cup 2003 | March 1 | South Africa |
| 2003 Mumbai blasts | Aug 25, 2003 | India tour of Pakistan | March 1-April 13, 2004 | Pakistan |
| Mumbai terror attack | Nov 26, 2008 | ICC Champions Trophy | Sep 26, 2009 | South Africa |
| Pathankot attack | Jan 2-5, 2016 | T20 World Cup 2016 | March 19, 2016 | India |
| Uri attack | Sep 18, 2016 | ICC Champions Trophy | June 4, 2017 | England |
| Pulwama attack | Feb 14, 2019 | ICC World Cup | June 16, 2019 | England |
| T20 World Cup 2021 | UAE | |||
| T20 World Cup 2022 | Australia | |||
| Asia Cup 2023 | Sri Lanka | |||
| World Cup 2023 | India | |||
| T20 World Cup 2024 | USA | |||
| ICC Champions Trophy 2025 | Pakistan & UAE | |||
What happens to Asia Cup 2025?
In all possibilities, the Asia Cup 2025 is set to be postponed. With the tournament in August-September and the cross-border tension at its peak, there is no way the tournament will go on as per schedule.
India is the official host, but as per the agreement between BCCI and the PCB, India vs Pakistan cricket matches will be played at neutral venues. However, with Mohsin Naqvi in charge of the ACC, there is no neutrality in the Asia Cup. BCCI Vice-President Rajeev Shukla and former treasurer Ashish Shelar are members of the ACC board. A BCCI official told InsideSport that they “will support whatever stand our government takes.”
Former India captain has already sounded the alarm bells on the Asia Cup, adding that even the Asian Cricket Council could be disbanded.
“BCCI’s stance has always been what the government of India tells them to do. So I don’t think it would be any different when it comes to the Asia Cup. India and Sri Lanka are the hosts for this particular edition of the Asia Cup. So, it depends on whether things have changed at all. But if things haven’t changed, I can’t see Pakistan now being part of the Asia Cup, which is going to be hosted by India and Sri Lanka,” Gavaskar told Sports Today.
What about ICC events?
It could be that the tensions between India and Pakistan deescalate quickly. Even though there is no hint of that happening yet, it could be. Will that bring the two major ICC events back on track? Probably.
While Asia Cup could be a tug of war between BCCI and the PCB for some time, other member nations may oppose the idea of having the Women’s ODI World Cup and T20 World Cup in a country in the middle of an armed conflict.
Jay Shah, the ICC chairman, is the son of India’s home minister, Amit Shah. Hence, there are chances that India may still host the tournaments. However, for that to happen, things must cool down.
There are still five months to go before the Women’s World Cup and nine months to go before the T20 World Cup. By then, everyone will hope that the situation returns to normal. But if it doesn’t, other countries may put pressure on the ICC to shift both tournaments out of India. Sri Lanka is the co-host for the T20 WC. As for the Women’s WC, the ICC will take a call in the next two months.
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