Amid the upcoming Asia Cup 2025 fixture against arch-rivals Pakistan, the boycott calls are not stopping in India. Several fans continue to express their displeasure with the BCCI’s decision to go ahead with the contest despite national sentiments. Social media is abuzz with boycott campaigns ahead of the tie as fans continue to put the mood of the nation ahead of a cricket match. Ever since the Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 tourists, it was believed that the Indian cricket board would take a hard stance and refuse to play against Pakistan in even the ACC and ICC events.
India will take on Pakistan in the Asia Cup on Sunday in Dubai. (Creimas/Asian Cricket Council)
However, this was not to be the case as the Asia Cup schedule confirmed the contest between the two teams. India and Pakistan are placed in Group A, and they can potentially meet twice more, provided they qualify for the Super 4s and the final.
As controversy surrounds the upcoming Asia Cup tie, the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Punjab Kings’ recent post has sparked buzz as the 2025 runners-up did not mention Pakistan in their India match announcement on X (formerly Twitter).
The official handle of Punjab Kings mentioned India’s upcoming match; however, things took an exciting turn when Pakistan was not mentioned in the caption, hashtag or the match graphic.
“Game 2 for the defending champions. Let’s gooo,” Punjab Kings wrote as the caption. It must be stated that there was no mention of Pakistan in the hashtags, as well as the franchise used “#AsiaCup2025 #INDv.”
The comments section is flooded with fans reacting to the post. The reactions got so intense that the franchise had to disable comments. Only those accounts that are followed by Punjab Kings can leave a comment under the post.
Ticket sales going through a lull
It is being reported that the upcoming high-profile Asia Cup contest is yet to be sold out. Several media outlets are reporting that the tickets are still up for grabs. This can be viewed as unprecedented, as the matches between India and Pakistan have always attracted buzz, leading to the tickets being sold out within minutes.
Also Read: India vs Pakistan Asia Cup 2025 match the least-hyped, most tainted IND vs PAK clash ever; BCCI under severe pressure
Several popular X accounts pertaining to cricket have also confirmed that they would not be covering the match between India and Pakistan, keeping the “national sentiments” in mind.
Recently, a plea was also filed in the Supreme Court, seeking the cancellation of the contest between India and Pakistan. However, the urgent hearing was denied by the top court, saying there is no harm if the match goes ahead on Sunday.
India began their Asia Cup campaign on Wednesday by registering an emphatic nine-wicket win against the UAE. On the other hand, Pakistan will begin their tournament on Friday against Oman at the Dubai International Stadium.
