The India-Pakistan cricket rivalry is like no other, a clash that stops hearts and fills stadiums with roars. Fans wait eagerly for these matches, but political tensions mean they only happen in big tournaments run by the International Cricket Council (ICC) and Asian Cricket Council (ACC). A recent terror attack in Kashmir has added fresh twists to this saga. Rumours are circulating that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has written to ICC with a request to avoid grouping India and Pakistan together in ICC events. However the claims are yet to be verified.
BCCI Vice-President makes an important statement regarding India-Pakistan cricket ties
BCCI Vice President Rajiv Shukla has condemned the attack and said that India will not be playing against Pakistan in bilaterals going forward, following a deadly terror attack in Kashmir on April 22. A few Pakistan based terrorists opened fire on innocent tourists on Tuesday, leading to the death of 26 people and many injured.
Talking to AajTak Rajeev said: “We are with the victims and we condemn it. Whatever our government will say we will do. We don’t play with Pakistan in bilateral series because of the government stand. And we will not play with Pakistan in bilaterals going forward. But when it comes to ICC events, we play due to ICC engagement. ICC is also aware whatever is happening they will look into it.”
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The ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup scheduled in India later this year
The earliest ICC event is scheduled later this year when 8 qualifying teams will come to India for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup. Meanwhile, Pakistan too have qualified for it, and the tournament is to take place in a round-robin format, where each team facing the other only once. However, Pakistan’s matches are to be arranged in a neutral venue, given the current circumstances. The BCCI will need to arrange a neutral venue for Pakistan in a suitable location, but the final decision is yet to be made.
But before that, the Asia Cup 2025 in September is the next big event, which India is hosting, but as per reports, the tournament might take place in a neutral venue. ACC, led by Pakistan’s Mohsin Naqvi, has sold the media rights for the continental tournament for a whopping $170 million, which includes 4 editions. The deal came with the expectation of an India-Pakistan clash in every edition.
A long drought of India-Pakistan bilateral series
For years, India and Pakistan have not played a bilateral cricket series against each other. The last time was back in 2012-13, when Pakistan came to India for a few one-day games. Before that, India played in Pakistan during the 2008 Asia Cup. Since then, fans have only seen their heroes battles during the ICC events like ODI World Cup, T20 World Cup, Champions Trophy and the ACC’s Asia Cup.
Politics keeps them apart, with India saying it’s not safe to travel to Pakistan. This has made hosting matches a puzzle, like in 2023 when the Asia Cup was supposed to be in Pakistan, but India played all their games , in Sri Lanka. So was the case in the Champions trophy 2025 as India played all their matches in Dubai.
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