The Government of India has issued a clarification regarding its policy on sporting ties with Pakistan, confirming that the much-anticipated India vs Pakistan clash at the Asia Cup 2025 has been approved. The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports released an official statement on the matter, outlining the conditions under which the two nations will meet on the field.
The ministry emphasized that while bilateral sporting contests between India and Pakistan will remain suspended, teams from both nations will continue to compete against each other in multi-nation events. However, the government did not confirm whether Indian athletes would travel to Pakistan if the country were to host any global tournaments.
𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒚 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅, “𝑰𝒏 𝒔𝒐 𝒇𝒂𝒓 𝒂𝒔 𝒃𝒊𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒍 𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒔 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓’𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒚 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒅, 𝑰𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒂𝒏 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒎𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒃𝒆 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒑𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝑷𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏. 𝑵𝒐𝒓 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒘𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒎𝒊𝒕 𝑷𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒊 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒎𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒚 𝒊𝒏 𝑰𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒂.”
Asia Cup 2025 Schedule: India vs Pakistan on September 14
The statement was released less than three weeks before the start of the Asia Cup 2025 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The iconic India-Pakistan fixture is scheduled for September 14 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
As per the tournament schedule, the arch-rivals could potentially meet two more times — in the Super Four stage and possibly in the final, depending on how both teams progress. This encounter will also mark the first India-Pakistan cricket match since the terror attack in Pahalgam, which claimed several lives.
𝑨 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒚 𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒌𝒆𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒅𝒅𝒆𝒅, “𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒓𝒆𝒈𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒍 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔, 𝒊𝒏 𝑰𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒂 𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒃𝒓𝒐𝒂𝒅, 𝒘𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒈𝒖𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒔 𝒃𝒐𝒅𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒔.”
Neutral Venues for ICC Events
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have already agreed on a hybrid model for ICC events from 2024 to 2027. Under this arrangement, the two countries will only face each other at neutral venues.
This system was first implemented during the 2025 Champions Trophy, where India played all its matches, including the final, in the UAE. The Asia Cup 2025 will now be the next major tournament where this hybrid model is applied, ensuring that political tensions do not impact global cricket schedules.
Also Read: ‘It will be exciting to get back to bowling’ – Australian allrounder targets Ashes return
