The Asia Cup 2025 dates, venues and schedule was announced a few days ago by much fanfare by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC). ACC and PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi confirmed the same, and the schedule showed that India and Pakistan were put in the same group A. The event will be hosted by India and played in the UAE across two venues.

The two arch-rivals are set to clash on September 14, with Oman and the UAE being the other two teams in their group in the event, which will be played in a T20 format. The tournament format allows for India and Pakistan to face off three times, in case either team qualifies for the next round, and then the final.

However, the announcement of India playing Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2025 has sparked an outpouring of outrage on social media, as the Indian sports ministry delegated final decision-making authority to the BCCI.

The Pahalgam terror assault on April 22, which claimed the lives of 26 civilians, sparked public outcry. A military confrontation between the two countries ensued after the incident, during which India carried out Operation Sindoor.

After receiving criticism from supporters, the Yuvraj Singh-led India Champions team declined to play Pakistan in the ongoing second season of the World Championship of Legends (WCL 2025) in Birmingham earlier this month for the same reason.

WCL organizers were obliged to cancel the match as a result of the decision, and they later expressed regret to the Indian players for "unintentionally causing discomfort."

As the BCCI awaited government approval, it had delayed confirming its participation in the Asia Cup following the Pahalgam incident, putting the competition in danger of being canceled. When Mohsin Naqvi, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and head of the ACC, revealed the Asia Cup schedule last week, the excitement came to an end.

"As of now, the BCCI does not come under the purview of the sports ministry as the National Sports Governance Bill is still to be passed. So, the ministry doesn't have a say, but we will wait and see how the BCCI responds to public sentiment," a sports ministry source told PTI.

Team India has the option to forfeit the match against Pakistan, according to an NDTV story, but the Suryakumar Yadav-led team will lose points as organizers will award Pakistan the points, considering it as a walkover.

"This is not a bilateral contest but a match in a multi-nation tournament. If India does not play or forfeit the match, it will give Pakistan a huge advantage. This will be like giving them a walkover, which is not desirable," sources told NDTV.

The sources also confirmed that the match is unlikely to be cancelled.