Preparations for the Asia Cup 2025 are in full swing, but a piece of news has surprised cricket fans. Sony Sports released a new poster of the tournament, which has pictures of the captains of India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, but Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha was nowhere to be seen.
Has Pakistan really been excluded from the Asia Cup this time? Let’s try to find out..
Has Pakistan Been Officially Dropped?
The Asia Cup to be held in September 2025 will be played in T20 format. India was given the hosting rights, but the recent border tension between India and Pakistan and the already ongoing political rift raised questions on the preparations for the tournament.
The poster of Sony Sports has pictures of India’s captain Suryakumar Yadav, Sri Lanka’s Charith Aslanka and Bangladesh’s Nazmul Hussain Shanto, but Pakistan is missing. This created a stir among the fans.
Many people are asking on social media – is this really a hint to exclude Pakistan?
What is the real matter?
In the last few months, tensions have increased between India and Pakistan, especially after the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir in April. Due to this, many relations between the two countries, including cricket, were affected.
There were reports that India might withdraw from the tournament, but BCCI secretary Devjit Saikia clearly said that India has not taken any such decision.
On the other hand, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has also not given any official statement yet. But this poster of Sony has fueled speculation. Some say that efforts are being made to exclude Pakistan due to India’s strength in cricket.
On the other hand, some reports claim that the tournament may be held in UAE instead of India, so that India-Pakistan matches can be played without any interruption.
Forbes India had earlier said that both the teams can play in UAE. But now this poster has confused everyone.
