India Faces Pakistan in Asia Cup to Avoid Sanctions

India vs Pakistan is more than cricket—it carries political tensions, border disputes, and an intense rivalry on the field. Bilateral series between the two nations have been suspended for years, and now they meet only in ICC events or the Asia Cup.

Ahead of this Asia Cup, there were doubts whether India would play Pakistan. After a terrorist attack in Pehalgam, Kashmir, last April, former Indian cricketers Harbhajan Singh and Kedar Jadhav publicly suggested boycotting the match. Some Indian fans also echoed similar sentiments.

However, India, led by Shubman Gill, will face Pakistan on September 14 in the group stage of the Asia Cup in the UAE.

BCCI secretary Debajit Saikia told NDTV why India is playing Pakistan in the tournament, "The Ministry of Sports has set specific rules for all international tournaments, and we must follow them. Not participating in multinational events could lead to sanctions against the federation, which would hurt the next generation of players."

In other words, even if bilateral series are politically sensitive, India is obliged to play Pakistan in multinational tournaments. India has previously avoided Pakistan in certain events—for example, in July this year during the World Championship of Legends (WCL), India skipped the group match and semi-final against Pakistan, advancing to the final via walkover but ultimately failing to win the title.

At major stages like the Asia Cup or ICC tournaments, boycotting is not an option. The highly anticipated India-Pakistan clash on September 14 is set to capture the attention of millions of fans worldwide.