The Supreme Court of India has refused to entertain a petition seeking to cancel the upcoming India-Pakistan Asia Cup clash in Dubai. The court’s blunt rejection of the plea effectively clears the way for the highly anticipated T20 match to proceed on Sunday.
September 11, 2025: The Supreme Court of India has turned down a request for an early hearing of a public interest litigation (PIL) that wants to cancel the highly anticipated India-Pakistan cricket match in the Asia Cup T20 event, which is set for September 14.
When Justices J.K. Maheshwari and Vijay Bishnoi heard the case, they did not agree to the request for an immediate hearing. Justice Maheshwari asked why it was so important, saying, “It’s a match, let it be.” The petitioners’ lawyer, who is also a law student, said that the plea would be pointless if it wasn’t heard before the match on Sunday. Justice Maheshwari’s answer was clear: “This Sunday is the match?” What can we do about it? Leave it alone. “The match should go on.”
The students had submitted the petition saying that playing against Pakistan so soon after the Pahalgam terror assault and “Operation Sindoor” was “against national interest.”
They said that playing a match with a country that supposedly houses terrorists sends the “wrong message” and that it disrespects the sacrifices of soldiers and citizens. The plea said that “the dignity of the nation and the safety of its citizens come before entertainment” and that cricket should not come before the country’s interests.
Along with asking the court to cancel the match, the petitioners also urged the court to tell the Ministry of Youth Affairs to carry out the National Sports Governance Act, 2025. The Lok Sabha introduced this Act in July 2025. Its goal is to make sports organizations in India better run. The petitioners said that it should be utilized to put the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) under the sports ministry’s authority.