Following the horrific terror attack in Pahalgam, the BCCI has been recommended to have the Indian squad boycott Pakistan entirely. However, Bangladesh may also face India's anger in the days ahead after a retired army general threatened New Delhi.
Since 2012–13, India and Pakistan have not played cricket together; instead, they have only met at the ICC and the Asia Cup tournaments.
Additionally, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has been urged to boycott the Pakistan Cricket Board in its entirety following the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed the lives of 26 civilians. This means that India may not play against Pakistan in any capacity, including at international and continental tournaments.
The boycott might be expanded to include women's and youth cricket as well, considering the total collapse of diplomatic relations between the two countries in the past two weeks.
Since the Sheikh Hasina-led administration was overthrown in August of last year after weeks of political turmoil, ties between the Indian government and Dhaka have deteriorated dramatically. Following the movement, attacks on the Hindu minority community worsened ties between the two South Asian neighbors.
Major General ALM Fazlur Rahman (retired) sparked controversy by implying in a Facebook post that Bangladesh should seize the northeastern region of India with help from China if the Narendra Modi-led government attacked Pakistan, following India's non-military response to the Pahalgam killings, which they blamed on Islamabad.
After this, the focus of India has turned to Bangladesh as well, and they are reviewing their relations with the country they helped gain independence from Pakistan in 1971.
As per reports, the BCCI is set to take action against both Pakistan and Bangladesh with the Asia Cup and a limited-overs tour to Bangladesh on the horizon.
Before the Asia Cup, India is supposed to tour Bangladesh for three One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and as many Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is). However, given the present political situation in the Indian subcontinent and possible security issues in Bangladesh, this tour may be canceled.
It is reasonable to assume that an Indian boycott would result in significant financial losses for Bangladesh and Pakistan. After all, India's tremendous rise over the past 20 years, led by the Indian Premier League's unparalleled boom, has made it a global behemoth in the sport.
80 percent of the ICC's total revenue comes from the BCCI alone; it is, incidentally, the main source of funding for boards like the PCB and Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).
And now Times Now has reported, that if the BCCI decides not to play these two countries in the future, starting with the Asia Cup and the next trip of Bangladesh, PCB and BCB will lose INR 220 crore and INR 130 crore, respectively.
When the Indian team visited Bangladesh in December 2022, they played three ODIs and two Test matches, earning between Rs 70 and Rs 80 crore. And if the Men in Blue don't turn up this August, it's safe to say the BCB will lose by the same amount, if not more.
According to the article, if the BCCI requests that the ICC place Bangladesh and Pakistan in a different group, the two countries may lose about Rs 20–30 crore in shared broadcast money per cycle.
Two weeks after the sad event in the Kashmir Valley, the BCCI has yet to issue a formal statement condemning Bangladesh or Pakistan. However, before the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee releases India's squads, a decision about the tour of Bangladesh is probably going to be made by July.
(Times Now Report)
