Pratiksha Ghosh
New Delhi, May 19: Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary Devajit Saikia has strongly rejected recent media claims suggesting India's withdrawal from upcoming Asian Cricket Council (ACC) tournaments. The reports had alleged that the BCCI had officially notified the ACC of its decision to skip both the Men's Asia Cup in September and the Women's Emerging Teams Asia Cup in Sri Lanka next month.
Terming the claims as “baseless, speculative, and purely imaginary,” Saikia clarified that no such deliberations or communications have taken place within the BCCI regarding a potential pullout.
Saikia says “These reports have no foundation. The BCCI has neither discussed nor decided on anything related to the ACC tournaments. Our current focus is entirely on the ongoing IPL and the upcoming series against England for both our men's and women's teams”.
He emphasised that if any decision is made concerning participation in ACC events, it will be officially communicated through the appropriate media channels.
India, the reigning Asia Cup champion and designated host of the tournament, has previously declined to travel to Pakistan for ACC events, prompting the relocation of fixtures to neutral venues like Sri Lanka and the UAE. The ACC is now currently chaired by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Mohsin Naqvi, who also serves as Pakistan’s interior minister.
