Indian cricket team won’t be stopped from playing Pakistan in Asia Cup 2025: Sports Ministry

On Thursday, August 21, the Indian Sports Ministry declared that India and Pakistan will not have any bilateral sporting ties even on neutral venues. However, it stated that the Indian team won’t be stopped from playing the Asia Cup in the UAE as it is a multi-lateral engagement. 

A source in the ministry stated that the policy bars Indian athletes from travelling to Pakistan and simultaneously doesn’t allow neighbouring sportspersons from coming to India for bilaterals and it is effective immediately.

The ministry source was asked whether the Indian teams would be allowed to travel to Pakistan for any multi-lateral events in the future. The source stated that they can’t leave the Indian athletes in lurch.

"In that scenario, we will examine the case before deciding anything. Even in multi-lateral events, we can't leave our athletes in lurch. After all, Pakistan is a country that has no hesitation in declaring that it is a dumpster and can hit the shining Mercedes that is India," he added.

"India's approach to sports events involving Pakistan reflects its overall policy in dealing with that country," states the ministry policy.

"In so far as bilateral sports events in each other's country are concerned, Indian teams will not be participating in competitions in Pakistan. Nor will we permit Pakistani teams to play in India," it added.

"India and Pakistan cannot play bilateral even if it is planned in America. No bilaterals," asserted a ministry source.

There has been a lot of social media outrage on the Indian team locking horns with Pakistan next month in the UAE on Sunday, September 14. 

"We will not stop the Indian cricket team from playing in the Asia Cup as it is a multilateral," the ministry source said.

"For multilateral cricket, we will not come in the way unless the host is Pakistan," he added.

India’s squad for Asia Cup: Surya Kumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson (WK), Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh.

Standby players: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag, and Dhruv Jurel.

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