The hassle between both nations seems to have been brewing hot and cold. India, who opposed traveling to Pakistan earlier for the Champions Trophy is now scheduled to host the Asia Cup later in September this year. According to Cricbuzz, The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has tentatively announced the schedule from the second to fourth week of September and is expected to have almost 19 games in the tournament.

Why Pakistan will not travel to India?

The tournament was allowed to be hosted by India but due to the current political tension regarding India-Pakistan dynamics, the ACC has announced to conduct the tournament at a neutral venue. Most Probably it will be either Sri Lanka or UAE. The BCCI will remain the eventual host. The BCCI did not get confirmation from the Indian government to send its players to Pakistan for the ICC tournament. Speculations revolved around that if Pakistan will travel to India for the Asia Cup as it did before during the ODI World Cup.

Previous Edition

The tournament will comprise 8 teams- Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Hong Kong, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, UAE and Oman. Nepal will not be featuring in the tournament as it did in the 2023 ODI World Cup. It could not find its place in the 8 teams this time. Out of the 8 teams, 4 teams will be qualified for the Semifinals. The top 2 teams from each group will find their place in the Semifinals. India is the reigning World Champion having beaten Sri Lanka in the 2023 Finals.