In a significant development for Asian cricket, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is preparing to host the 2025 edition of the Asia Cup T20 tournament, which will be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
While a formal announcement is still pending, multiple sources within the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) confirmed on Thursday that the decision has been finalised during a key meeting of all 25 member nations.
The BCCI was represented at the meeting by its vice-president, Rajeev Shukla, who attended the proceedings virtually. According to a senior ACC source who spoke to PTI on condition of anonymity,
“The BCCI will host the Asia Cup in the UAE. India is expected to play all of its matches in Dubai. However, some aspects related to the scheduling are still under discussion.”
Tight Calendar Poses Logistical Challenges
The tournament is scheduled to take place in September 2025 and will likely run for a little over two weeks. Organizers are racing against the clock to finalize the dates, particularly because the Indian cricket team’s Test series against the West Indies is set to commence in the final week of September.
This tight window is creating additional pressure for the BCCI and the ACC to conclude planning at the earliest.
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, when asked to confirm the developments, struck a cautious tone. “Our vice-president, Rajeev Shukl, attended the ACC meeting and will brief the members shortly. I don’t believe in making speculative statements.
An official announcement will come in a few days,” he said, reflecting the BCCI’s current policy of withholding details until everything is finalised.
Discussions with PCB Underway
Meanwhile, Mohsin Naqvi, the chairman of the ACC and head of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), also addressed the media from Dhaka following the high-stakes meeting.
Though he refrained from sharing the complete details, particularly around the highly anticipated India-Pakistan fixtures, he confirmed that all participating nations were aligned in their views.
“We will announce it shortly. We have had discussions with the BCCI, and there are a few issues that will be resolved soon. All 25 members of the ACC were present at the meeting, either physically or virtually, and we are all on the same page,” Naqvi stated.
According to insiders, the meeting was not without tension.
There were concerns that the session might fail to reach a quorum, a critical requirement for any official ACC resolutions.
Reports suggest that the BCCI, Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB), and Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) had considered boycotting the meeting. If they had followed through, the absence of these three permanent Test-playing nations would have rendered the meeting invalid under ACC rules.
India-Pakistan Clashes on the Horizon?
In what could be a major attraction for fans across the subcontinent and beyond, multiple sources have indicated that India and Pakistan are likely to be placed in the same group during the tournament.
This setup could potentially lead to three encounters between the arch-rivals: one in the group stage, another in the Super 4s, and a possible showdown if both teams advance.
Such high-stakes fixtures would undoubtedly boost viewership and commercial interest in the tournament, further solidifying the Asia Cup’s role as a premier competition in the cricketing calendar.
BCCI to Announce Schedule First
Interestingly, reports also suggest that due to the influence and pressure exerted by the BCCI during the ACC meeting, only two out of ten items on the official agenda were discussed. The remaining topics were deferred, reportedly because BCCI insisted on focusing solely on the Asia Cup arrangements.
As per the current understanding, the BCCI will release the schedule first, following which the ACC will issue a unified statement confirming the tournament structure and logistics.
This edition of the Asia Cup 2025 is shaping up to be one of the most watched and competitive tournaments in recent memory, especially given the geopolitical backdrop and cricketing rivalries that add layers of intensity to every match involving South Asian giants.
#AsiaCup2025 #BCCI #UAECricket #CricketInUAE #IndiaVsPakistan #T20Cricket #AsianCricketCouncil #MohsinNaqvi #RajeevShukla #DevajitSaikia #PCB #SLC #ACB #AsiaCupSchedule #CricketNews #DubaiStadium #CricketRivalry #CricketFans #CricketUpdates #CricketPolitics #IndVsPak #CricketTournaments
