Asia Cup 2023 Schedule Finalized, Team India Will Not Travel to Pakistan: Arun Dhumal
Written by Sanjay Kumar
News Highlights
- The Asia Cup 2023 schedule was finalized.
- IPL Chairman confirms Indian team will not visit Pakistan for any Asia Cup matches.
- Asia Cup 2023 will be held in a hybrid format, with matches played in Pakistan and Sri Lanka due to venue changes.
With the highly anticipated Asia Cup 2023 just on the horizon, fans are eagerly awaiting the thrilling showdown between arch-rivals India and Pakistan. These two teams are set to face off against each other twice in the Asia Cup before their encounter on October 15th for the ODI World Cup match at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Following a meeting between BCCI Secretary Jay Shah and PCB Chief Zaka Ashraf, IPL Chairman Arun Dhumal announced that the schedule for the Asia Cup 2023 tournament has been finalized. This decision was made ahead of the ICC Board meeting scheduled for Thursday (July 13). Dhumal also confirmed that the Indian team will not be visiting Pakistan for any of the Asia Cup matches.
Dhumal stated, “Our secretary met PCB head Zaka Ashraf, and the Asia Cup schedule was finalized as discussed earlier. There will be four league stage games in Pakistan, followed by nine matches in Sri Lanka, including the highly anticipated India versus Pakistan match, and possibly a third game if both teams make it to the final.”
He further clarified, “Contrary to recent reports, there were no discussions about India traveling to Pakistan, and our secretary will not be making such a trip. Only the schedule was finalized.”
In a recent interview with the Indian Express, Pakistan Sports Minister Ehsaan Mazari mentioned that if India insists on playing their Asia Cup matches at a neutral venue, Pakistan will demand the same for their World Cup matches in India.
In a similar fashion to the 2010 Asia Cup, the 2023 edition of the tournament is expected to have Pakistan’s matches held in Dambulla, Sri Lanka. Pakistan will play their only home match against Nepal, while the remaining three matches to be played in Pakistan will involve Afghanistan-Bangladesh, Bangladesh-Sri Lanka, and Sri Lanka-Afghanistan.
The Asia Cup 2023 will be conducted in a hybrid format, with four matches played in Pakistan and the remaining matches taking place in Sri Lanka. Initially, the tournament was planned to be held in Pakistan, but the venue was changed after the BCCI declined to send the Indian team to Pakistan.
