On several occasions, the tensions between India and PAK have disrupted the spirit of the tournament
The tensions between India and PAK are known to the world, and the two nations simply cannot share a single platform due to their political differences. When it comes to sports, cricket is often the one that gets affected on most occasions, given that both nations are major cricket-playing nations. Among all the cricket tournaments, it is the Asia Cup that often bears the brunt of the political indifference between the two.
This year, despite India being the host of the Asia Cup, the tournament is being played in the UAE due to skirmishes between the two nations. And for the record, this is not the first time. Over the decades, tensions between the two neighbouring countries have dampened the spirit of the Asia Cup.
(Credit- Firstpost)
In the 1990-91 Asia Cup, India was the host of the tournament, but PAK pulled out. Conflicts regarding Kashmir and the Siachen Glacier standoff led to strained relations, and PAK stayed out of the tournament. Host India won the final against Sri Lanka, with Kapil Dev picking up a hat-trick.
Hostilities between the two countries continued in the following years. It reached a point where the Asia Cup had to be cancelled. Back then, the Asia Cup consisted of only four or five teams. Without India and PAK, hosting the tournament was a no-brainer.
(Credit- Times Nows)
Similar to the 2025 Asia Cup, the 2018 Asia Cup was relocated from India to the United Arab Emirates due to a strained relationship between the two countries. The union government did not allow PAK to play on Indian soil, and therefore, the tournament had to be moved to the UAE, where there is a significant Indian, PAK, and Afghan population.
(Credit- Livemint)
In 2023, PAK was to host the Asia Cup, but India chose not to travel to PAK. Therefore, a hybrid model was selected for the tournament. India played all its matches in Sri Lanka, whereas PAK hosted a few games. India went on to become the champions.
This year, India chose to boycott PAK’s presence in the tournament as the host nation. However, after months of discussion, the BCCI agreed to gift the hosting rights to the UAE, but with the condition that the BCCI and PCB would not play any matches in each other’s home in the ICC Champions Trophy until 2028.
India kicks off its Asia Cup 2025 campaign against the acting host, UAE, on 10 September, followed by a clash against PAK on 14 September. India’s last group stage game is scheduled for 19 September against Oman.
