Mumbai: India and Pakistan are likely to be drawn into the same group for the Asia Cup 2025, which will be held in UAE, TOI has learnt. With the BCCI vice-president Rajiv Shukla, who is the BCCI's representative in the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), attending the ACC Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Dhaka virtually on Thursday, all hurdles have now been cleared for the much-anticipated continental T20 tournament, which had been thrown into uncertainty following the terror attack in Pahalgam.
"It has been decided that the Asia Cup will be held. Shukla and Asian Cricket Council president and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi are scheduled to meet in the coming days to finalise the venues and the tournament schedule.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!"Being the designated hosts, the BCCI is likely to announce the schedule of the tournament in the next few days," a reliable source told TOI.
Shukla and Naqvi will also engage with sponsors at the earliest opportunity, aiming to allow sufficient time for commercial planning.
After the ACC meeting in Dhaka, Naqvi said all the 25 members attended the AGM - some joined virtually. "The meeting was attended by all 25 members. The BCCI will inform us about the Asia Cup in a few days," he told reporters.
The Asia Cup clash in September will be the first time that there will be an India versus Pakistan clash on the cricket field since tensions heightened in April-May between the two neighbours, following the Pahalgam attack on April 22 with India launching 'Operation Sindoor' on Pakistan.
"The BCCI is in touch with the Indian government for permission to play Pakistan in the Asia Cup," the source said.
Despite the BCCI being the official hosts of the tournament, it will be played in UAE, as the ACC had decided to host the Asia Cup in a neutral country when it was either India or Pakistan's turn to be official hosts.
According to the source, the BCCI is willing to host the tournament at a neutral venue, identifying Dubai and Abu Dhabi as the likely locations.
"The BCCI has signed a deal with the Emirates Cricket Board for three venues, but only two will be used for the Asia Cup," he said.
The BCCI has proposed a tentative window from the third or fourth week of September for the tournament, which will act as a preparatory event for the T20 World Cup, set to be held in February in India and Sri Lanka next year.
Eight teams are set to participate in the upcoming edition of the Asia Cup.
"The budget of the Asia Cup, as well as six other ACC tournaments this year, was passed in the AGM today. The election was deferred, while the AGM was adjourned. It will be continued at a later date," a source said.
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