Report: BCCI Mulling To Pull Out From Asia Cup 2021

In what could be a body-blow to member nations of the Asian Cricket Council, especially Pakistan, the Board of Control for Cricket in India [BCCI] is reportedly mulling to pull out of the upcoming edition of the Asia Cup.

With several series getting postponed in 2020 due to Covid-19, the Virat Kohli-led unit is set to embark on a jam-packed schedule and according to a report in Times of India, it could lead to the BCCI pulling out of the Asia Cup and it could make up for India’s non-involvement by compensating the broadcasters by scheduling the bilateral fixtures that were supposed to take place in 2020.

The Asia Cup was originally set to take place in Pakistan in 2020 as a precursor to the T20 World Cup in Australia. But following the proliferation of the Wuhan Virus, the tournament had to be postponed till June of this year.

The report also suggested that even if the Asia Cup takes place this year, it will take place around the ICC Test Championship final. And given India’s phenomenal performance, Virat Kohli’s men are prime contenders of making it to the summit clash.

If India does pull out of the Asia Cup, it will be a major blow to the broadcasters as they will miss out on a potential India-Pakistan clash. It will also upset the PCB, who had traded the hosting rights with Sri Lanka, given India’s refusal to travel to Pakistan.

“Further, the Asia Cup – even if it was scheduled – would’ve probably been played around the same time as the ICC Test Championship final. If India don’t make the final, the industry would’ve preferred the Asia Cup instead. Now, chance of such a thing happening look bleak so it’s a kind of catch-22 right now,” a source was quoted as saying by Times of India.

“We’ll have to wait and see how this one plays out,” sources added.

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