Team India not to travel to Pakistan for Asia Cup 2023, confirms BCCI secretary Jay Shah

Jay Shah has confirmed, that the Asia Cup 2023 will likely be held at a neutral venue. The last edition of the Asia Cup was held in the UAE and was won by Sri Lanka.

Team India faced Pakistan last time at the Asia Cup 2022 in Dubai last month. (Photo: ANI)

The Asia Cup 2023 was supposed to be held in Pakistan and there were questions surrounding whether the Indian cricket team would travel to the neighbouring country to participate in the tournament. While there were some reports that the Men-in-Blue were ready to travel to Pakistan for the Asia Cup next year, Asian Cricket Council President and BCCI secretary Jay Shah has confirmed that India will not be travelling to their neigbouring country for the Asia Cup 2023.

Instead, Jay Shah has confirmed, that the Asia Cup 2023 will likely be held at a neutral venue. This comes as a result of cricket relations being strained due to political tensions between the two countries.

“We’ll have Asia Cup 2023 at a neutral venue. It’s the Government which decides over the permission of our team visiting Pakistan so we won’t comment on that but for the 2023 Asia Cup, it is decided that the tournament will be held at a neutral venue,” BCCI secretary Jay Shah confirmed.

India had last toured Pakistan for a bilateral series in 2005-06 under the leadership of Rahul Dravid. India and Pakistan have not played a bilateral cricket series since 2012-13 when Pakistan had toured India for three T20Is and as many ODIs. Since then, both teams have not played in bilateral series, and the teams have just met in world events or Asia Cup.

_ Update _: 91st Annual General Meeting of BCCI

The 91st Annual General Meeting of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was held on October 18th, 2022, in Mumbai.

The key decisions made are as under _https://t.co/c2XV2W2Opl

— BCCI (@BCCI) October 18, 2022

Matches between the two sides are always highly anticipated and stadiums go full house. The tickets of the two team’s T20 World Cup 2022 this Sunday (October 23) were sold out within hours of its release. India played Pakistan a couple of times in Dubai during the Asia Cup 2022 earlier this year but the games were held at a neutral venue.

Among other major decisions taken at the BCCI’s 81st AGM in Mumbai, the board also approved to conduct the Women’s Indian Premier League. The WIPL will replaced the shorter Women’s T20 Challenge which took place along side IPL over the last few years.