Udaipur, April 25, 2025: The rivalry between India and Pakistan has lasted for ever now. The two arch-rivals continue to clash due to political animosity. Last Tuesday, the incident where gunmen killed 26 people in Pahalgam, Kashmir, created a serious conflict situation. This has once again negatively impacted sports, especially cricket.

India and Pakistan's Cricket Conflict Grows Again

India and Pakistan cricket teams have not played a bilateral series since 2013 because of political tensions. Both countries have also stopped sending cricket teams to each other's land. However, talks had made some progress to start a bilateral series at a neutral venue in the future.

But the Pahalgam attack has now stopped all cricket talks between the two countries. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has written to the world cricket body to make sure India and Pakistan are not placed in the same group in future ICC and Asian Cricket Council (ACC) tournaments.

Why Tensions Increased After the Attack

The Indian government claims that Pakistan was behind the Pahalgam attack. Meanwhile, a rebel group called The Resistance Front (TRF), which India says is linked to Pakistan’s Lashkar-e-Taiba, has taken responsibility for the killings.

India and Pakistan May Still Face Each Other

This year, India and Pakistan may have to play against each other at least once in an ICC tournament.

The Women's ODI World Cup will be held in India in September-October. Pakistan’s women’s team has qualified for the main round. Since the tournament will follow a round-robin format, every team will play against each other once — meaning India and Pakistan must meet before the knockouts.

However, an agreement between BCCI and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) says Pakistan will not visit India to play the Women's World Cup, as India earlier refused to visit Pakistan for the Champions Trophy.

Asia Cup Grouping Problems

The Men's Asia Cup is also planned for India in September-October. Media reports suggest India and Pakistan were placed in the same group. But now, due to the Kashmir issue, India might refuse to play against Pakistan in the group stage.

BCCI Vice-President Rajiv Shukla said, "We stand with the victims. Our government’s decision is our position. We do not play bilateral series against Pakistan and will not play in the near future."

Financial Trouble for ICC and ACC

The ICC and ACC will face huge financial losses if India and Pakistan do not meet in the group stages of tournaments.

Usually, India-Pakistan matches bring high viewership and excitement. The ICC and ACC often place both teams in the same group to ensure big profits from broadcasting and sponsorship. If the two teams don’t meet, tournament interest will drop. Sponsors and broadcasters will pull back, leading to a major revenue loss.

Even if the teams reach the knockout stages, there is no guarantee they will face each other. Different matchups could happen.

Asia Cup Could Move, but Problems Remain

If the Asia Cup is not held in India, it could shift to the UAE or Sri Lanka. That could solve the venue issue, but grouping will remain a major problem.

The ACC already sold broadcasting rights for the next four Asia Cups to Sony Sports Network for US $170 million. There was an informal understanding that each tournament would have at least two India-Pakistan matches, and possibly three if both reach the final.

If fewer India-Pakistan matches happen, the broadcaster might not pay the full amount, causing heavy losses to the ACC. The future of the Asia Cup could also be at risk.

ICC's Big Worries About Revenue

The ICC depends heavily on revenue from broadcasting rights and sponsorship. It expects to earn $3.2 billion from broadcasting alone between 2024 and 2027, plus another $1 billion from sponsorships. The biggest source of ICC’s huge earnings is the India-Pakistan match, which always draws record viewership.

But with the rising tension between India and Pakistan, both the ICC and ACC may have to lower their hopes of big earnings for now.