Asia Cup 2025: BCCI Faces Heat After Schedule Confirms India vs Pakistan Clash in UAE

The BCCI faces criticism for allowing India to play Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2025 amidst heightened tensions following the Pahalgam terror attack. Fans and former cricketers question the decision, demanding a boycott of the matches against Pakistan.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has been facing intense criticism after the Asia Cup 2025 schedule confirmed that India will play Pakistan at a neutral venue in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The Asian Cricket Council (ACC), the governing body of cricket in Asia, officially announced the fixtures for an eight-team competition on Saturday, July 27. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, Moshin Naqvi, who is also heading the ACC, confirmed that the tournament will take place in the UAE after the BCCI agreed to host the tournament at a neutral venue as per the earlier agreement with the PCB, when Team India refused to travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy earlier this year.

However, the change in venue for the tournament came at a time when tensions between India and Pakistan escalated following the Pahalgam Terror Attack in Jammu and Kashmir, where terrorists opened fire on civilians, killing 28 tourists, including 26 Indians and two foreign nationals, sending shockwaves not just across India but also across the globe.

India likely to face Pakistan three times at the Asia Cup 2025

As per the schedule released by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), it has been confirmed that two arch-rivals, India and Pakistan, will face each other in the Asia Cup, which will take place on September 9, with Afghanistan taking on Oman in the tournament opener. Team India will begin their title defence against the UAE on September 10.

The much-anticipated clash of the tournament between India and Pakistan will take place on September 14. However, two arch-rivals will likely lock horns at least three times in the Asia Cup. In Group A, India and Pakistan are clubbed with Oman and the UAE, and arch-rivals will likely finish in the top two and qualify for the Super 4, where they will likely face off in the opening match of the stage.

If India and Pakistan finish in the top two of the Super 4 stage, then they will likely set up a much-anticipated final on September 28.

After the Uri terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir, killing 19 Indian soldiers in 2016, the bilateral series between India and Pakistan was suspended indefinitely, and the two sides only face off in ICC and ACC events.

The last face-off between India and Pakistan was in the group stage of the Champions Trophy 2025 in Dubai, where the Men in Blue defeated Mohammad Rizwan's side by six wickets.

BCCI under fire after confirmed India vs Pakistan clash

After the Asia Cup 2025 schedule confirmed that India and Pakistan will face off in the tournament, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) could come under fire from fans and former cricketers, who questioned the board’s decision to allow India to play Pakistan, especially in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack.

Indian cricket fans took to their X handle (formerly Twitter) and slammed the BCCI for going ahead with the match against Pakistan at a time when the nation is still mourning the tragic loss of innocent lives in the Pahalgam terror attack, and demanded that the board boycott the clash against India.

Former India captain Mohammad Azharuddin pulled no punches on the BCCI, stating India should not play any international events against Pakistan if they have not already played a bilateral series with the arch-rivals.

“I always say that everything should happen, or if it doesn’t happen, then it shouldn’t happen at all. If you’re not playing bilateral games, then you shouldn’t play international events, that’s what I believe,” Azharuddin said.

Should India boycott the clash against Pakistan at Asia Cup 2025?

Following the Pahalgam Terror Attack, there were growing calls in India to boycott all the sporting engagements with Pakistan, with several political leaders, former cricketers, and fans demanding that the BCCI boycott India’s matches against Pakistan at the Asia Cup 2025 as well as other tournaments, including the Women’s World Cup 2025.

Recently, India Champions decided to withdraw from the clash against Pakistan Champions after several former Indian cricketers, including skipper Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Pathan Brothers - Irfan and Yusuf, Shikhar Dhawan, and others, at the ongoing World Championship of Legends.

Indian legends’ decision to withdraw from the Pakistan clash after severe criticism and backlash among the Indian public, after former Indian cricketers agreed to play Pakistan, especially in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack.

It remains to be seen whether the BCCI will bow to public pressure and reconsider its stance of playing against Pakistan at the Asia Cup 2025 or stick to the schedule released by the ACC and allow the cricketing ties to continue within the framework of multilateral tournaments.