Whenever India or Pakistan is awarded hosting rights for an ICC or ACC tournament, discussions and controversies arise well before the tournament begins. A similar situation was seen ahead of the ongoing Champions Trophy. Since Pakistan was the designated host, India refused to travel there. After months of drama, the tournament was eventually arranged under a hybrid model to accommodate India. At the same time, Pakistan also placed a condition before the ICC, stating that if a tournament were hosted in India, they too would not participate unless a hybrid model was introduced. Given the ongoing tensions between the two nations, the ACC is now planning to take a different approach to avoid such disputes.
According to the ACC’s pre-announced roadmap, the 17th edition of the Asia Cup is scheduled to take place in September. This time, the tournament will be held in the T20 format, with India as the official host. However, considering past experiences and the venue-related drama surrounding the last Champions Trophy, the ACC is planning to move the tournament to a neutral venue instead of India. Possible alternative hosts include Sri Lanka and the UAE, though no final decision has been made yet.
Until an official decision is reached, the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) will continue to be considered the host. Previously, Pakistan was the designated host for the 2023 Asia Cup, which was played in the ODI format. At that time, the BCCI had also refused to send their team to Pakistan, forcing the ACC to adopt a hybrid model for the tournament.
Therefore, this time, the Asian Cricket Council has decided in advance that if either the BCCI or the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is chosen as the host, the tournament will be held at a neutral venue.
