Venue swaps for India’s Tests against West Indies and South Africa
The BCCI confirmed the switches in a statement while announcing a slew of changes for the 2024-25 home season.
BCCI
Downplaying reports of India pulling out of this year’s Asia Cup, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia on Monday claimed that the issue is yet to be “discussed”.
India are due to host the six-team event in the T20 format but the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), which runs the Asia Cup, has not yet announced the schedule or the venue. The tournament is unofficially earmarked for September.
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“The Asia Cup matter or any other ACC event issue has not come up for discussion at any level.… till now, BCCI has not even discussed or taken any such steps regarding ensuing ACC events, leave alone writing anything to the ACC. At this stage, our prime focus is on the ongoing IPL and subsequent England series, both men and women,” Saikia said.
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Saikia said the BCCI had not communicated any decision to the ACC concerning India’s participation in the Asia Cup as well as the Women’s Emerging Asia Cup in Sri Lanka in June.
The fate of the Asia Cup has met with uncertainty following rising tensions between India and Pakistan after the terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22.
The two countries briefly engaged militarily, which led to temporary halting of both the IPL and PSL. Both leagues resumed on May 17 after the countries agreed to a ceasefire on May 10, though bilateral tensions prevailed.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir recently said there should be “absolutely no” cricketing ties between India and Pakistan. Speaking in his personal capacity, Gambhir said, “Till all this [terrorism] doesn’t stop, there should not be anything between India and Pakistan.”
The BCCI has traditionally required clearance from the Indian government before committing to matches against Pakistan in multinational tournaments.
In 2023, when Pakistan was scheduled to host the Asia Cup—serving as a lead-up to the ODI World Cup—the BCCI cited the lack of government approval to travel to Pakistan. As a result, the PCB adopted a hybrid model, staging part of the tournament in Pakistan and shifting all of India’s matches, including the final, to Sri Lanka.
A similar situation unfolded earlier this year during the 2025 Champions Trophy, with India again declining to travel to Pakistan. Instead, India played all of its matches, including the final in Dubai.
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