Team India’s participation in the 2025 Asia Cup remains uncertain with only two months to go. Notably, in response to sponsors’ and broadcasters’ concerns, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), led by PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, wrote to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to request clarification on India’s finalization of the tournament schedule.
Due to the uncertainty surrounding the Men in Blue’s participation, the ACC has communicated to the BCCI the pressure from its sponsorship partners and media. According to Times Now, the ACC stated that the partners’ capacity to efficiently plan, distribute resources, and launch campaigns is being severely hampered by this uncertainty.
“We have been informed that in the absence of this information, their ability to plan effectively, allocate resources, and execute their campaigns is significantly constrained. In addition, to highlighting the challenges being faced by them, the media rights partner has highlighted obligations under the Agreement which commence 60 and 90 days prior to the commencement of the 2025 Tournament. Our sponsorship rights partner, TCM, have outlined the commercial concerns associated, particularly in terms of timelines required for effective monetization and activation planning,” ACC wrote in its letter to the BCCI, as per a report in Times Now.
ACC Warns That Further Delays Could Lead to Breach Claims From Partners
Both Sony (broadcast partner) and TCM (sponsorship partner) have stated that delays could lead to wasted economic opportunities, particularly considering the proximity to other significant ICC and worldwide events. The letter further cautioned that extended delays might be interpreted as a violation of the terms of the agreement and could result in demands for discounts or financial claims.
“In addition, given the proximity of other major ICC and international events, both Sony and TCM have raised concerns that further delays could result in missed commercial opportunities that may not be recoverable due to existing scheduling and lead-time limitations. In light of this, and importantly, with fixtures for other major tournaments now confirmed, we are hoping to alleviate the concerns of our rights holders finalize the Asia Cup fixtures within this week. This is especially important for the ACC as the Men’s Asia Cup is the main source of income for the organization. We believe that further delays may pose the risk of our partners claiming breaches of Agreement and seeking discount,” the letter added.
In the meantime, the BCCI will have time to react as early as next week. An advertisement that heralds the Asia Cup was shown after the last India vs England Test game that was aired the other day, yet there were no dates or venues confirmed. The Asia Cup 2025 which was to be hosted by India is likely to now be staged in the UAE due to the terrorist attack in Pahalgam and the resulting strike by India on Pakistan with operation Sindoor that have worsened Indo-Pak relations.
According to The Times of India, the Asia Cup is scheduled to get off on September 5, with the India vs Pakistan battle set to take place on September 7. They might play again on September 14 and possibly a third time in the final on September 21 if both teams advance to the Super Four stage. The competition will employ the same T20 structure and format as in 2022 and 2023.
