The high-intensity cricketing rivalry between India and Pakistan will resume briefly in September as decks have been cleared for the BCCI to host the upcoming Asia Cup T20 tournament in the UAE, sources in the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) said on Thursday.
The decision was taken at an ACC meeting attended by all 25 member nations. BCCI was represented by its vice-president Rajeev Shukla, who attended the meeting to discuss the venue, virtually.
“The BCCI will host the Asia Cup in the UAE. India is likely to play all its matches in Dubai. There are still deliberations on scheduling,” an ACC source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
The tournament is being held in UAE as India and Pakistan have mutually agreed to play all their matches across all multi-nation events till 2027 at neutral venues.
This edition of Asia Cup is being held in T20 format since the next ICC World Cup will be in the shortest format in India and Sri Lanka in February 2026.
The tournament will be held for a little over fortnight in September.
It has to end before the final week of the month as India’s Test series against West Indies is also scheduled around the same time. Out of the three international grounds, one at Dubai and other at Abu Dhabi is expected to be used for the tournament.
Keeping the interests of broadcasters as well as sponsors in mind, there is every chance that India and Pakistan will be clubbed in the same group and there will be minimum two games—group league and Super Six if not the final if both teams happen to qualify.
“Our vice-president Rajeev Shukla attended the ACC meeting. He will brief the members. I don’t believe in speculations so you will get to know officially in a few days time,” BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia told PTI.
In Dhaka, ACC chairman and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) head Mohsin Naqvi also kept cards close to his chest when asked about a possible Indo-Pak match at the continental event.
“We will announce it shortly. We have had discussions with the BCCI and there are a few issues that we will resolve shortly. All 25 members attended the meet either physically or virtually. We are all on same page,” Naqvi told reporters.
It is also learnt that due to BCCI’s pressure, only two out of 10 items on the agenda, were discussed. The only item in the agenda that was passed relates to grant for the developing nations under ACC’s aegis.
“We have all decided to work for cricket. None of us wants politics in our organisation and we had very good meeting, hope we will continue working like this,” Naqvi added.
When asked about his reaction about BCCI representative not attending the meeting in person, Naqvi didn’t want to make much of it.
“That is not an issue. Recently, I couldn’t attend the ICC Annual Conference in Singapore,” Naqvi said.