BCCI Secretary Dismisses Media Reports About India's Asia Cup Boycott

The Indian cricket board secretary Devajit Saikia dismissed media reports about India's plan to boycott the 2025 Asia Cup amid the tensions with Pakistan.

Several Indian media houses reported on Monday that the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) was planning to pull out of the Asia Cup scheduled for September this year because the Asian Cricket Council is headed by Mohsin Naqvi, a Pakistani minister who is also the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

But Saikia, who replaced Jay Shah, the current chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC), as the BCCI secretary, dismissed the Indian media reports as mere speculations.

“The Asia Cup matter or any other ACC event issue has not come up for discussion at any level, hence any news or report on that is purely speculative and imaginary,” Saikia told the Khaleej Times through a WhatsApp message on Monday.

“It may be said that BCCI, as and when any discussion on any ACC events takes place and any important decision is reached, the same will be announced through media.”

Leading Indian newspapers, including the Indian Express, had reported that India, who had also refused to send their cricket team to Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy early this year due to security concerns, are all set to withdraw from the Women's Emerging Teams Asia Cup next month and the Men's Asia Cup in September.

Saikia, however, categorically denied having any discussions with the Asian Cricket Council on India's participation in those events.

“Since this morning, it has come to our notice about some news items about BCCI's decision not to participate in the Asia Cup and Women's Emerging Teams Asia Cup, both ACC's events. Such news is devoid of any truth,” Saikia said.

“BCCI has not even discussed or taken any such steps regarding the ACC events, let alone writing anything to the ACC. At this stage, our prime focus is on the ongoing IPL (Indian Premier League) and subsequent England series, both men and women.”

Early this month, India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire deal following a four-day military conflict between the two nuclear-armed South Asian countries after 26 people were killed in a terror attack at Pahalgam, Kashmir.

India claimed Pakistan-backed militants were responsible for the deadly attack - an allegation Pakistan's government has strongly rejected.

Having launched missiles and drones into each other's territories in a serious escalation of hostilities, the two countries almost came to the brink of an all-out war before a ceasefire was announced on May 10.

Amid the rising tensions, both cricket boards were also forced to suspend their high-profile T20 leagues - the IPL in India and the PSL (Pakistan Super League) across the border.

The two leagues resumed on May 17 with revised fixtures.

Decades-long political tensions between India and Pakistan often spill over into the cricket field as the national teams of the two countries haven't played a bilateral series since 2013.

The ICC was also forced to adopt the hybrid model for the 2025 Champions Trophy as India refused to travel to Pakistan, the host country, over security concerns.

The Indian team played all their matches in Dubai, including the semifinal and the final, which they won in March.

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