IPL chairman Arun Dhumal shared his view on the recent Asia Cup 2025 tournament, which was won by Team India, who defeated Pakistan in the final on Sunday, September 28, by 5 wickets. He pointed out that while it's simple to go to the top, it's hard to stay there for a long time, which the Indian team did.
“Reaching the top is very easy, but maintaining that position is a very difficult task. India was the No. 1 team in T20s, and the way they performed brilliantly throughout the tournament, winning all their matches convincingly, I want to congratulate the Indian team for that.
"Special congratulations to Suryakumar Yadav and all the team members who played outstanding cricket. By winning the championship, they have shown the world that they are the best team in the world," Dhumal told IANS.
Asked if a bilateral series between India and Pakistan could be on the cards anywhere in the future, he said, "See, it is the decision of the Government of India that we will not play a bilateral series with Pakistan, and we fully support this decision. In this matter, the BCCI will align with the government's stance. For the BCCI, the country comes first, and cricket comes next."
Furthermore, he thinks that the excitement surrounding the India-Pakistan matches has been "exaggerated" and that the Pakistani team lacks key players like it had in the past, when any cricket fan would give top players like Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, and Shoaib Akhtar high marks.
"Many things happened that, in my opinion, should not have occurred on the sporting field, but they did. Now, we should not dwell on what has already happened. Once again, we congratulate the Indian team for their outstanding performance.
I believe the hype around India-Pakistan matches has been exaggerated. As has been said before, these contests are no longer what they once were. If you ask any Indian to name 24 Pakistani players, they probably won't remember. In the past, names like Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, and Shoaib Akhtar would come to mind, but they are no longer there,” Dhumal said.
"I also believe that matches against countries like England, New Zealand, or Australia are far more competitive. Since Pakistan is our neighbor, and our relations are sometimes tense, the media tends to create extra hype," he added.
Dhumal added that the Indian team has a talent pool that is unmatched by any other team in the world and that they are capable of defeating any of the top teams in the world.
"Even against teams that play exceptionally well, our performance has been commendable. So, we should not give this match undue hype. We are definitely capable of beating any of the world's best teams—not just our A or C teams, but with the strength we have today, the world does not have such talent anywhere else. This should make us proud, and we should also appreciate and congratulate the players who delivered such outstanding performances," Dhumal further said.
(IANS inputs)
