With the Asia Cup around the corner and the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 set to begin later this month, BCCI Secretary Devajit Lon Saikia shared his views on India’s preparations, governance policies, and upcoming events. India will open their Group A campaign against the UAE at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on September 10, followed by a high-stakes clash against Pakistan at the same venue on September 14, before facing Oman at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on September 19.
The 17th edition of the Asia Cup marks India’s first T20I outing since winning the home series against England by 4-1 in January. The tournament also serves as a crucial build-up platform for India ahead of next year’s T20 World Cup, to be held in India and Sri Lanka, where they will enter as the defending champions.
On India’s chances in the Asia Cup, Saikia sounded upbeat.
“We have very high hopes for India’s performance. The team is playing really well in both white-ball and red-ball cricket. Since this Asia Cup will be played in the T20 format, and India are the defending champion, everyone believes that the team is at its peak and will do very well in the upcoming tournament,” Saikia told IANS on Saturday.
The six-nation tournament will see India and Pakistan face off on September 14 in Dubai, with the potential for a second encounter in the Super Four stage on September 21.
Addressing the much-discussed possibility of India facing Pakistan, Saikia reiterated the BCCI’s position of aligning with the central government’s policies.
“The BCCI always follows the directions of the central government. When issues involve multinational political policies or sports policies, we have to abide by the government’s guidelines. Like any other sporting body, the BCCI is bound by the central government’s decisions.
“In the Asia Cup, India will play against all participating nations because it is a multinational tournament, and we don’t have any other option. However, if it were a bilateral series with a country with which India has a difficult relationship, then the BCCI could take a call on whether to play or not,” he said.
The central government has clearly laid out the do’s and don’ts for all sports federations, including the BCCI, and we strictly abide by those policies.”
On the recent chatter around Virat Kohli’s fitness, Saikia chose restraint. “I don’t think there is any official confirmation on this matter, so I don’t want to make any comment.”
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will hold the Annual General Meeting (AGM) at its headquarters in Mumbai on September 28, with elections being one of the agendas for it, said its secretary Devajit Saikia on Saturday. The BCCI is due to hold elections for five office-bearer posts: president, vice-president, secretary, joint secretary, and treasurer.
Shifting focus to women’s cricket, Saikia revealed details of the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025, which will run from September 30 to November 2. “From September 30 to November 2, India will host the ICC Women’s World Cup, which is a 50-over tournament. Matches will be held across five venues in India and two in Sri Lanka, with the Indian team playing most of their games at home.
“Guwahati will host the opening match on September 30, which will also feature the opening ceremony. Details of the ceremony, including the list of artists performing, will be revealed soon. One artist has already been confirmed – Shreya Ghoshal, who will perform the tournament’s theme song. The rest of the events for the opening ceremony are lined up, and once everything is finalised, we will share further updates.”
