The Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) is confident that India and Pakistan will face each other in the upcoming Asia Cup 2025, which is scheduled to begin on September 9, with the final scheduled on September 28 in the UAE amid the ongoing Operation Sindoor.
Both India and Pakistan are placed in the same group in the upcoming Asia Cup 2025 and are set to face each other for the first time since the Pahalgam attack on September 14. Depending on the results, there is also a strong chance the two archrivals could meet again in the Super 4s and even in the final of the upcoming continental T20 tournament.
ECB confident of India vs Pakistan clash in Asia Cup 2025 on September 14
However, there has been some concern about whether the two teams would play, especially after India’s recent withdrawal from matches against Pakistan in the recent World Championship of Legends 2025 (WCL 2025), which is a private tournament held in England.
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India Champions had opted out of both the group stage and the semifinal in the World Championship of Legends 2025.
However, the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) has clarified that the Asia Cup 2025 is a major continental tournament governed by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), unlike the WCL. So, the India-Pakistan fixture is expected to go ahead without any issues.
No risk of Pakistan and India not playing: ECB
ECB CEO Subhan Ahmed was quoted as saying by Pakistan Observer, “While I cannot give a formal guarantee, there is no risk of Pakistan and India not playing. The Asia Cup cannot be compared to private tournaments like the World Championship of Legends, where India refused to play against Pakistan in both the league stage and semi-final.”
Meanwhile, tensions between India and Pakistan have increased after the Pahalgam attack in April 2025. This attack forced India to launch Operation Sindoor, which is still underway, as said by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Given that many Indian fans have demanded a complete boycott of Pakistan.
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Despite this, the Asia Cup 2025 is set to go ahead as planned, as the BCCI is now an individual body. This tournament is seen as a build-up to next year’s ICC T20 World Cup, which will be hosted by India and Sri Lanka. And that’s why the Asia Cup will also be played in the T20 format.
BCCI and PCB maintain silence amid buzz
Earlier this year, India and Pakistan met in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 during the group stage, where the Men in Blue crushed the Men in Green by six wickets in Dubai. However, both BCCI and PCB remain silent on the social media buzz about whether the India-Pakistan game could go ahead in the UAE.
Notably, the Indian cricket team is currently enjoying a break after a hectic Test tour of England. The young Indian team led by Shubman Gill managed to draw the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2-2 in England. On the other hand, Pakistan is currently on the Caribbean tour.
They already won the T20I series against the West Indies and are now gearing up for the three-match ODI series before returning to the UAE for the upcoming Asia Cup.
