Following the heinous terrorist attack in Pahalgam, South Kashmir, on Tuesday, which claimed 26 innocent lives, there have been claims that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) sent a letter to the International Cricket Council (ICC) asking them to stop putting India and Pakistan in the same group for ICC competitions.

In the group stages of an ICC event, the BCCI no longer wants a matchup between India and Pakistan, at least, according to a Cricbuzz report. But with India hosting the Women's ODI World Cup in September, the following major ICC event is scheduled for that month. Pakistan earned a spot in the eight-team tournament, in which every team will compete against every other team in a round-robin style. In accordance with the previously agreed upon agreement, Pakistan will not be competing any of its games in India, and the host nation has not yet identified the neutral location.

Earlier, BCCI vice president Rajeev Shukla had said that the board would abide by the Indian government's decision, but the report also stated that a senior BCCI official informed the website that he was unaware of such an event.

What about the Asia Cup?

Regarding The following ICC competition will be men's cricket, with the T20 World Cup taking place in India and Sri Lanka between February and March 2026. But the Asia Cup, which India will host in September, is the BCCI's top priority right now. Earlier, Cricbuzz had stated that the competition would be held at a neutral site, with Dubai and Sri Lanka as potential locations.

However, the new website report emphasized: "Based on an unofficial understanding that each edition will feature at least two India-Pakistan matches, with the possibility of a third if the teams meet in the final, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has sold the media rights for the Asia Cup - valued at $170 million for four editions -." Since the media rights agreement is middle-heavy rather than front-or back-loaded, the 2025 edition would cost approximately $38 million, which is less than the average value of $42.5 million.

In the prior iteration of the continental competition, which took place in 2023, India and Pakistan played each other twice: once in the group round and once in the Super Four. As Pakistan was unable to advance to the finals, the second game was canceled. India defeated Sri Lanka in the championship game to win the competition.

The Asia Cup draw was expected to be out in May, according to the report, but the Asian Cricket Council may take some time to consider its choices for both the draw and the venue. It further said, "The overall impression is that any ultimate decision will depend on whether the current tensions between India and Pakistan escalate or de-escalate."

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