Is India Really Pulling Out of Asia Cup Match vs. Pakistan? BCCI Breaks Silence

Despite Mounting Speculation, BCCI Source Confirms Arch-Rival Clash Will Proceed as Scheduled. Learn Why the Indian Board Cannot Withdraw from the Highly Anticipated Asia Cup Encounter

July 27, 2025: The highly awaited match between India and Pakistan in the 2017 Asia Cup is officially guaranteed to go ahead as planned, even if political tensions have risen recently and another competition has been boycotted. During the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) meeting, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) gave its approval. Sources say that the board can’t pull out of the continental event at this point.

The BCCI says it can’t back out of the India vs. Pakistan Asia Cup match on September 14.
On Saturday, the ACC officially announced the schedule for the Asia Cup, which includes the league stage match between India and Pakistan on September 14. Both cricketing powerhouses have been placed in Group A, along with the hosts UAE and Oman. This sets up what might be a number of high-stakes matches in the tournament.

“The BCCI can’t back out of the tournament or the match now. After the ACC meeting, everyone agreed on the decision. Because India is the host country, nothing can be changed right now. There was a discussion at the official level, and the decision was made based on it. IANS reported on Sunday that BCCI sources said, “The match will go ahead as planned.”

The confirmation comes at a time when things are getting more and more unclear, especially since the India Champions side, led by Yuvraj Singh, just turned down the chance to play against the Pakistan Champions in Birmingham during the World Championship of Legends. After that, the match was called off because players said that political tensions had risen since the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22. However, the BCCI has not said anything about a boycott of the Asia Cup since the schedule was made public.

On Saturday, Mohsin Naqvi, the president of the ACC and head of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), officially confirmed the dates for the 17th edition of the Asia Cup. This ended months of doubt. The event will be contested in the T20 format, which is a strategic move to get ready for the 2026 T20 World Cup. For the first time in its history, there will be eight teams instead of the usual four.

India and Pakistan are in first place in Group A. Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Afghanistan, and Sri Lanka are in Group B. The structure opens up fascinating possibilities. The best teams from each group will move on to the Super Four stage, and then the final. This means that India and Pakistan might play each other up to three times in the tournament.