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BCCI’s Bold Asia Cup Strategy Leaves Pakistan Isolated, Report Reveals Shocking Move

May 20, 2025, 3:19 am

In the midst of escalating hostilities between Pakistan and India along the border, the cricketing relationship between the nations comes under further strain. Though already suspended in the case of bilateral series between the two nations, the deteriorating political situation now threatens multi-nation tournaments such as the Asia Cup.

BCCI Considers Pullout from Asia Cup 2025

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is reportedly considering withdrawing from the next Asia Cup 2025, which is to be held in India. This action will be a move to isolate Pakistan from the continental cricketing map, particularly since Pakistan’s Minister Mohsin Naqvi is currently the chairperson of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC).
With no India vs Pakistan fixture expected in the Asia Cup due to political tensions, the tournament’s commercial appeal has significantly diminished. These high-profile matches typically drive massive revenue, particularly from the Indian market, making their absence a critical blow to the event’s financial viability.

ACC Faces Financial Hit with BCCI’s Likely Exit

Indian pullout would severely economically burden the ACC. The majority of sponsors for the Asia Cup are Indian-based, and in the absence of India participation, the commercial model would be at risk of imploding. The ACC, now under Naqvi following Jay Shah’s assumption of the role of ICC chairman, would possibly not be able to hold on to its present broadcasting contracts.

BCCI Backs Government Position

Referring to the prevailing national mood, a BCCI official disclosed to The Indian Express, “The Indian team cannot participate in a tournament organized by the ACC, whose president happens to be a Pakistani minister. That’s the mood of the country. We have orally informed ACC regarding our withdrawal from the forthcoming Women’s Emerging Teams Asia Cup, and our future participation in their tournaments also is pending. We are keeping regular contact with the Indian government.”

Media Rights Deal under Risk

In 2024, the Asia Cup broadcasting rights were acquired by Sony Pictures Networks India for a whopping $170 million. However, with the possibility of BCCI pulling out, the media deal might have to be renegotiated or discarded altogether if the tournament does not take place as scheduled.

Hybrid Model in 2023, Uncertainty in 2025

In 2023, the Asia Cup was held in a hybrid format, with games staged throughout Sri Lanka and Pakistan. India ultimately emerged as the champion in Colombo, while Pakistan did not get that far. Such a hybrid format might not be feasible in the present political situation, though, so the future of the tournament is in doubt.

Asia Cup :Mohammed Siraj reclaims No 1 spot in ODI bowling rankings with dream spell

September 20, 2023, 2:29 pm

Prior to the ICC World Cup, which starts on October 5, Indian speedster Mohammed Siraj on Wednesday rose eight spots to retake the top spot in the ODI bowler rankings. Siraj topped the bowling rankings chart thanks to his onslaught in the Asia Cup final, which resulted in Sri Lanka being dismissed for 50. Siraj has regained the No. 1 ranking that he lost to Josh Hazlewood in March of this year with the Asia Cup-winning spell of 6/21. At the conclusion of the competition, Siraj had 10 wickets at an average of 12.2. In the rankings, he has surpassed bowlers like Trent Boult, Rashid Khan, and Mitchell Starc.

The Afghan spin duo of Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Rashid Khan also improved their rankings to No. 4 and No. 5 respectively. They were the only others to go up in the top 10.
Outside that space, South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj showed tremendous rise after returning from his injury.
Maharaj helped the Proteas become just the fifth side to win a five-match ODI series after losing the first two games against the ‘Baggy Greens’.

Asia Cup: Gambhir sparks debate by disagreeing with Kohli becoming as Player of the Match

September 12, 2023, 5:18 pm

Gautam Gambhir is noted for having a unique perspective of view. Few people have the ability to ignite a conversation with strong opinions like the former India opener.

Gambhir’s recent remark following India’s Asia Cup Super 4 match against Pakistan in Colombo was evidence of this. When Gambhir was asked to choose his Player of the Match in the post-match presentation on Star Sports following India’s best ODI win (in terms of runs) against Pakistan – India won by 228 runs – Gambhir chose Kuldeep Yadav rather than Virat Kohli or KL Rahul.

The final decision, though, favored Kohli. He was named Player of the Match for his unbroken 122-run innings. Naturally, Gambhir’s remarks gained attention.

For unversed, On Monday, Kohli broke several records. He became the quickest player to 13000 ODI runs, moved closer to matching Sachin Tendulkar’s (49) all-time record for ODI hundreds, and tied Hashim Amla’s record for most consecutive ODI centuries (4) at a site.

It was largely owing to his undefeated 233-run stand with KL Rahul, who also played a superb 111* performance, that India were able to post their joint-highest ODI total of 356 against Pakistan.

Chasing 357 on a surface like Colombo, where 250-260 is regarded a solid total, was always going to be a near-impossible job for any team. In that regard, India effectively knocked Pakistan out of the game.

And Kohli, as he has done so many times before, was the architect. With the heat factor and the caliber of the Pakistan bowlers in play, Kohli’s 147-run innings was deserving of Player of the Match honors.

Gambhir, on the other hand, had a different opinion. He went with left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who took his maiden five-wicket haul against Pakistan and gave them no chance of chasing the score.

Gambhir stated that he “can’t look beyond Kuldeep” as the Player of the Match because he spooked Pakistan batsmen, who are normally good spinners in the air and off the pitch.

“For me, it’s Kuldeep Yadav. Can’t look beyond him. I know Virat got a hundred KL (Rahul) got a hundred. Rohit (Sharma), Shubman Gill got fifties but on a wicket like this where it was seaming swinging, if someone get five wickets in 8 overs, especially against Pakistan batters, who play spin really well, is a game-changing moment.

“I can understand if it was Australia, South Africa or New Zealand because they don’t play spin that well. This just shows the quality of the bowler. He beat batters in the air and he beat batters off the wicket as well. Going into the World Cup, that is great for Indian cricket because now you have two attacking pacers upfront and Kuldeep… Three bowlers who can take wickets at any stage of the game,” said Gambhir.

Gavaskar, Harbhajan question Shreyas Iyer’s fresh injury

September 11, 2023, 3:32 pm

Captain Rohit Sharma revealed at the toss during the Asia Cup 2023 Super Four match against Pakistan at the R Premadasa Stadium on Sunday that Shreyas Iyer, who had only joined the squad two matches ago and played only one innings so far, was on the bench for the crucial tie due to a new injury concern, leaving veterans, experts, and fans stunned.

As Rohit mentioned, it was a “forced change” because the team sheet initially listed Rahul as the 13th man and Iyer as his normal No. 4, but their numbers were struck out just before the game.

The entire build-up to the Pakistan game revolved around whether India should play Rahul, who had been out with a hamstring injury since May, followed by a niggle during his Asia Cup practice at the NCA, or Ishan Kishan, who replaced him in the line-up for the group-stage tie against the arch-rivals and scored a stunning 82.

However, the conversation quickly switched to whether both could be in the lineup, casting doubt on Iyer’s status in the XI.

Iyer, like Rahul, has recently returned from a lengthy injury layoff. He had been out since March of this year due to a lower back strain, for which he had to have surgery before recuperating in time to make the Asia Cup and World Cup squads, with head coach Rahul Dravid delighted with the batter’s improvement, noting that he had “ticked all the boxes.”

On Sunday, though, he suffered another back injury, taking him out of the playing XI against Pakistan and leaving great cricketers Harbhajan Singh and Sunil Gavaskar “concerned.”

Gavaskar expressed disappointment in the unfortunate turn of events for Iyer, who he felt looked in good touch in that knock of 14 he played in Pallekele against Pakistan, and added that India would have to keep a replacement ready if he does not get fit for the World Cup.

“It’s a worry definitely. If a player is out for 5-6 months due to an injury and then has it again with a month before World Cup, so yes it is an area of concern. Luckily, you can make changes in your World Cup team, and in case he is unfit and doesn’t recover then there will be somebody who will replace him. It is sad because he looked good in that match against Pakistan. He played a lovely cover drive,” he said.

Asia Cup: Javagal Srinath officiating 250th ODI as match-refree

September 4, 2023, 5:05 pm

In Pallekele on Monday, Javagal Srinath, a former Indian pacer who is now a member of the ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees, will officiate his 250th men’s One Day International. Former India fast bowler Srinath was a member of the squad that advanced to the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup final in 2003, finishing with 236 wickets in 67 Test matches and 315 wickets in 229 ODIs. Three years later, according to an ICC press release, he was appointed as a match referee.

Srinath, who will become the fourth to reach the milestone of 250 ODIs as a match referee after Ranjan Madugalle, Chris Broad and Jeff Crowe, said he was privileged to have officiated in so many matches.
Javagal Srinath: “It feels great to be reaching this milestone as a match referee. It has been 17 years on the circuit for me and quite unbelievable that I have now officiated in more ODIs than I played.”
“I am privileged to be still associated with the game. I have had a wonderful run since my international debut as match referee in a Test match between Sri Lanka and South Africa in Colombo back in 2006 and will strive to do my best in the coming years,” he added.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the ICC, the BCCI, my colleagues on the Elite Panel as well as near and dear ones who have been with me through this journey,” concluded Srinath.

Asia Cup: India win toss, opt to bat against Pakistan

September 2, 2023, 3:06 pm

India won the toss in their high-octane duel against Pakistan in the opening game of the Asia Cup 2023, opting to bat at Pallekele Stadium in Kandy, Sri Lanka.

India captain Rohit said at the toss that the team will focus on playing good cricket. “We are going to bat first. There is a bit of weather around, but can’t think much about it. Got to play good cricket, you need to embrace the challenge, embrace the situation. We had some time off after the West Indies series,” he said.

“Everyone was up for those drills and challenges in Bengaluru (during camp). Let’s see what we can achieve in this tournament. It’s a quality tournament with quality opposition. At the end of the day, we need to see what we can achieve as a team. Iyer is back, Bumrah is back and we got three seamers. Got two spinners – Kuldeep and Jadeja,” he added.

Asia Cup: KL Rahul ruled out of India vs Pakistan clash

August 29, 2023, 2:57 pm

KL Rahul, India’s wicketkeeper-batter, will be unavailable for the first match of the Asia Cup 2023 against Pakistan on September 2 in Kandy, Sri Lanka.

KL Rahul is progressing well from the niggle he picked up after recovering from his injury, according to Team India coach Rahul Dravid, who revealed at a news conference today that he will remain under National Cricket Academy (NCA) monitoring till September 4.

“He (KL Rahul) had a good week with us, he is progressing really well on the route that we want to take, but he will be unavailable for the first part of the Kandy leg of the trip. The NCA will be looking after him while we are travelling. We will reassess him on fourth (September 4) and we will take it from there. The signs are good and he is progressing really well,” Dravid said.

Team India is preparing for the Asia Cup 2023 at a training camp in Alur, Karnataka, on the outskirts of Bengaluru. The Asia Cup will kick off on August 30 in Multan, Pakistan, with Pakistan taking on Nepal.

India will meet Pakistan in their first encounter on September 2 at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy. Group A consists of Pakistan, India, and Nepal, whereas Group B consists of Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Sri Lanka. The tournament will be held in a hybrid format, with Pakistan hosting four games over two locations and Sri Lanka hosting the remaining games.

India won’t travel to Pakistan for Asia Cup 2023: Jay Shah

October 18, 2022, 5:25 pm

Ahead of Asia Cup 2023 Asian Cricket Council president Jay Shah said India will not travel to Pakistan for the Asia Cup 2023 and the match will be held at a neutral venue.

Meanwhile, the rivalry between India and Pakistan cricket match is one of the fierce in the globe.

Dismissing the speculations of team India traveling to Pakistan for the event BCCI secretary BCCI secretary said, “We will have Asia Cup 2023 at a neutral venue. It’s the government that decides over the permission of the team visiting Pakistan so we won’t comment on that but for the 2023 Asia Cup it’s decided that the tournament will be held at some neutral venue.”

Moreover, after the 91st Annual General Meeting of the Board of Control on Tuesday in Mumbai said, “The venue for the 2025 Championship trophy is still to be decided, we will comment on that when it is decided. We are getting good earnings from our Media rights. Our motive is domestic players should get more benefits as our earnings are increasing.”

However, in 2008 India last traveled to Pakistan to compete in the Asia Cup.

After Virat Kohli Scores his 71st international century, an elderly man seen bowing before him

September 9, 2022, 11:35 am

After nearly three years of not scoring a century, finally in Thursday’s T-20I match, which was between India and Afghanistan, Virat Kohli’s jinx got broken and he scored his 71^st international century. In what was arguably Kohli’s most difficult format, the former captain smashed 122 runs off 61 balls. Kohli broke Rohit Sharma’s record for the highest score in a T20I by an Indian batter.

Kohli himself seemed surprised by that century, and as he celebrated, the camera panned to an elderly fan who proceeded to bow down to the 33-year-old in the stands in Dubai. Kohli reached the three figure mark with a four and a six off back-to-back balls.

His struggling strike rate for India and in the IPL in recent months has led to suggestions that he could be dropped from the T-20 World Cup if he doesn’t perform well in the Asia Cup.

After his innings, Kohli said, “Actually I was shocked. This is the last format, I thought. It was an accumulation of a lot of things. The team has been open and helpful. I know there was a lot of stuff going on outside.”

Kohli later said in the post-match presentation ceremony, where he won the player of the match award, that he didn’t want to prove anything to anyone. He said, “I wasn’t desperate to prove anything to anyone-in a very real sense, not in a way that ‘I’ve done everything’-it’s just about enjoying the game, understanding what God has blessed you with already, and then just being humble and going out there and doing the grind all over again. I think today was just a build up of the last few games-I actually batted out of my skin to be honest. I surprised myself. What actually surprised me was that my 60s became failures, which was very shocking for me. I was batting pretty well and contributing, but it didn’t seem to be good enough. But as I said, God has blessed me with a lot of good times in the past, and that’s why I’m in this position where these things can be spoken about. I have absolutely no shame in admitting that God is blessing us all with everything in our destiny. We just have to work hard. So I went back to the drawing board, came back fresh, came back excited. “

A lot of people have my number but Dhoni only texted me; says Virat Kohli

September 5, 2022, 1:09 pm

Indian former skipper and star batter Virat Kohli said that after stepping down as India Test skipper in January he received little support and at that time only former India captain MS Dhoni texted him.

Meanwhile, in the test tournament, Kohli is India’s most successful Test skipper but stepped down from it after a 2-1 series loss to South Africa.

During a press conference Kohli said, “When I left the Test captaincy, MS Dhoni was the only one among all the cricketers I had played with before who texted me. A lot of people have my number but he was the only one who texted me.”

“It comes from the genuine respect that we have for each other. There is no insecurity from either end of our equation. These things matter. I live my life with honesty and these things matter to me. I just want to say this, if I have to tell someone about their game, I reach out individually. Even if I have to reach out to them, I do it personally,” former India skipper Kohli said.

After the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup last year Kohli had already stepped down from India’s T20I captaincy.

“I’ve played for 14 years, it doesn’t happen by chance. I’ve taken some time away and put things in perspective and that’s given me a relaxation that this is not the be-all and end-all of life. I need to enjoy the game, I can’t put so much pressure on myself with expectations that I’m unable to express myself. That is not why I started playing the game,” Kohli said.

Moreover, Kohli is back in form and has hit back-to-back half-centuries in the Asia Cup.

However, on Sunday Pakistan defeated India by wickets in Asia Cup 2022.

Asia Cup 2022: First Super 4 match to be played between Sri Lanka and Afghanistan

September 3, 2022, 11:48 am

The first match of the Super 4 stage in the Asia Cup 2022 will be played between Sri Lanka and Afghanistan at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in Sharjah on Saturday. This match will be played between both the top 2 teams of Group B (B1 vs B2).

Apart from these, the 2 teams that have qualified for Super 4 from Group A are India and Pakistan. India vs Pakistan (A1 vs A2) match will be played on Sunday at Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan team would like to avenge the previous defeat against Afghanistan. At the same time, the eyes of the Afghanistan team will once again be on defeating Sri Lanka.

Moreover, the Afghanistan team has reached here after winning both the matches of the league stage and they would like to carry forward this momentum.

However, the match will be telecast live on Disney+ Hotstar and Star Sports networks. The match will start at 7:30 PM IST and the toss will take place half an hour before the match.

Sri Lanka’s Probable Playing 11

Pathum Nisanka, Kusal Mendis (WicketKeeper), Charit Aslanka, Danushka Gunathilaka, Bhanuka Rajapakse, Dasun Shanaka (Captain), Vanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Mahesh Thikshana, Asitha Fernando, Dilshan Madushanka

Afghanistan’s probable Playing 11

Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WicketKeeper), Ibrahim Zadran, Najibullah Zadran, Karim Janat, Mohammad Nabi (Captain), Rashid Khan, Azmatullah Omarzai, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Fazlhaq Farooqui

VVS Laxman selected as interim head coach of Indian team for Asia Cup 2022

August 25, 2022, 11:52 am

The Board of Control for Cricket in India named VVS Laxman as the interim head coach of the Indian team for the upcoming Asia Cup 2022. The Asia Cup 2022 will be played in the United Arab (UAE).

During the ODI series in Zimbabwe, VVS Laxman traveled with the Indian team. Now in the absence of Rahul Dravid VVS Laxman will oversee the team’s preparation.

Earlier, Rahul Dravid had tested positive for Covid-19 before the team went to the UAE.

In a statement on Wednesday, the BCCI said, “Dravid will join the team once he tests negative and is cleared by the BCCI Medical Team.”

Meanwhile, during the routine test conducted before the team’s departure for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the Asia Cup Rahul Dravid tested positive for Covid-19. Dravid has mild symptoms of COVID-19 and is under the supervision of the BCCI medical team.

Moreover, the much-awaited Asia Cup cricket tournament is to begin on 27 August 2022. This is the 15th edition of the Asia Cup, which will be played between six teams.

However, the previous edition of the Asia Cup was held in ODI format but this time the Asia Cup has been organized in T20 format. Six teams are divided into two groups in which the qualifying team has been placed along with India and Pakistan in Group A. The teams of Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan have been placed in Group B.

India’s squad for Asia Cup 2022

Rohit Sharma (captain), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Deepak Hooda, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan

Rahul Dravid tests positive for Covid-19, will not accompany the team for Asia Cup 2022

August 23, 2022, 11:58 am

Rahul Dravid, the head coach of India, is not expected to accompany the rest of the team to the UAE for the Asia Cup 2022 because he reportedly tested positive for COVID-19.

On Tuesday, the cricketers who are now in India are most likely to fly to Dubai without Dravid. The former India captain and other support staff members, Paras Mhambrey (bowling coach) and Vikram Rahtour (batting coach), were given a break from the ODI series against Zimbabwe as former teammate VVS Laxman took over as interim coach for the three-match ODI series, which India won 3-0. The Asia Cup is set to start on August 27, but India’s campaign gets underway against Pakistan the following day in Dubai.

However, it is not yet certain whether Laxman will fill in for Dravid once more.

The reigning champions are grouped with a qualifier, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka in Group B, while Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Sri Lanka make up Group A.

India has chosen to play a full-strength squad, which many believe is pretty similar to what their squad for the T20 World Cup in Australia in a few months’ time could look like, except Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel, both of whom are out due to injury.

Virat Kohli, who is making a comeback following the England ODIs, will be the centre of attention. The West Indies and Zimbabwe tours were postponed to give the former captain, who hasn’t been playing well lately, a vacation.

India’s team announced for Asia Cup 2022, Virat and KL Rahul return to the team

August 9, 2022, 1:17 pm

The All India Senior Selection Committee on Monday announced the 14-member squad for the upcoming Asia Cup 2022. The much-awaited Asia Cup cricket tournament is to begin on August 27 this year. This is the 15th edition of the Asia Cup, which will be played between six teams (main event) in the UAE.

Defending champion India is the most successful team in Asia Cup. India has won this trophy 7 times. The previous edition of the Asia Cup was held in ODI format. But this time the Asia Cup has been organized in T20 format.

Moreover, six teams are divided into 2 groups. In which the qualifying team has been placed along with India and Pakistan in Group A. While Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan teams have been placed in Group B.

However, each team will face their group team once in the group stage. In which the top two teams from each group will advance to the Super 4 round. The top 2 teams from Super 4 will qualify for the final.

India’s squad for Asia Cup 2022

Rohit Sharma (Captain), KL Rahul (Vice-Captain), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Rishabh Pant (WK), Dinesh Karthik (WK), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, and Avesh Khan

Standby: Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, and Deepak Chahar