Sports Ministry drops final verdict on India vs Pakistan Asia Cup 2025 showdown: Suryakumar Yadav and Co. won't…

The Sports Ministry, on Thursday, sealed Team India’s participation in the upcoming Asia Cup clash against Pakistan, to be held in the UAE from September 9. The two rivals are scheduled to meet on September 14 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in a Group A fixture. India could likely face Pakistan thrice in Asia Cup 2025

Unveiling a new policy on India’s international sporting engagements, with particular emphasis on Pakistan, the ministry clarified that while bilateral contests remain off the table, multilateral tournaments will not be restricted. This means the Suryakumar Yadav-led side will feature in the Asia Cup as planned. Sources told PTI that the directive takes effect immediately.

"India's approach to sports events involving Pakistan reflects its overall policy in dealing with that country," states the ministry policy.

"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," it added.

However, the multilateral engagements will not be affected.

"We will not stop Indian cricket team from playing in Asia Cup as it is multilateral," the ministry source said.

"But Pakistan will not be allowed on Indian soil for bilateral competitions. But we will not stop them from multilateral events as we will abide by Olympic Charter," he added.

The debate around India’s participation had been simmering since the Asia Cup schedule was confirmed last month, especially after the Pahalgam terror attack in April further strained ties between the two nations. At one stage, speculation was rife that India’s withdrawal could even force the cancellation of the tournament, before the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) ended the suspense with an official announcement in late July.

The controversy deepened when the Yuvraj Singh-led India Champions side withdrew from two matches against Pakistan in the World Championship of Legends, including the semifinal.

The uncertainty resurfaced again on Tuesday in Mumbai, when captain Suryakumar was asked about India’s participation on September 14. The query was promptly intercepted by the team’s media manager, who instructed reporters to restrict questions to squad selection.

What about multi-nation tournaments in Pakistan?

Back in 2023, the Indian team never got government clearance to travel to Pakistan for the Asia Cup. That’s when the ‘hybrid model’ came into play, with Sri Lanka brought in as co-host to stage all of India’s matches.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has since made it clear that nothing of that sort will fly for the Champions Trophy in 2025. After months of tug-of-war with the BCCI, the ICC finally stepped in and slotted Dubai as the neutral venue for all of India’s games. Both boards then struck an agreement that will hold till 2027 — whenever Pakistan hosts, India’s matches move to a neutral venue, and whenever India hosts, Pakistan’s games shift out.

But does that automatically apply to multi-nation events across other sports too? A ministry source was non-committal: “In that scenario, we will examine the case before deciding anything.”

The same source didn’t mince words either: “Even in multi-lateral events, we can’t leave our athletes in the lurch. After all, this is a country that has no hesitation in declaring itself a dumpster and claiming it can hit the shining Mercedes that is India.”

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