Indian government will not stop its cricket team from facing Pakistan in the upcoming Asia Cup 2025 next month. However, the government has reiterated its ban on bilateral sporting contests with the neighbouring country. The Sports Ministry, while announcing a revised policy on Thursday, said India’s engagements in multilateral competitions will continue unaffected, but bilateral tours and series remain off the table.
Officials explained that India’s approach to sporting ties with Pakistan mirrors its broader diplomatic stance, emphasising that while the Olympic Charter requires participation in global and regional events, New Delhi will not host or travel to Pakistan for direct encounters. The clarity ends weeks of speculation about whether the Asia Cup fixture would be jeopardised by political considerations.
According to the new guidelines, Indian teams will not participate in bilateral matches hosted in Pakistan, nor will Pakistani teams be allowed to tour India for similar contests. Officials noted that this stance reflects the government’s broader policy of limiting direct sporting exchanges. The ministry pointed out that this has been the practice for several years, with the last full bilateral cricket series between the two countries played in 2012-13. Since then, interactions have been restricted to global tournaments, and the latest directive reaffirms that this position remains unchanged.
