After Asia Cup Drama, When Is The Next Cricket Match Between India And Pakistan? | Cricket News

For years, India and Pakistan’s matches in cricket were called ‘too friendly’. The countries are historic political rivals who once shared fierce competitiveness and strife on the fields of not just cricket, but other sports, too.

However, after the Venkatesh Prasad and then the Gautam Gambhir eras ended, and the political atmosphere remained generally calm, the cricketers behaved jovially on the field, too, sharing moments that made them look like genuine friends. The 2025 Asia Cup upended that completely.

With a backdrop of the Pahalgam terror attack and the Operation Sindoor, Indian players refused to shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts when the sides met in the group stage. It caused a huge meltdown on the West of the border, with boycotts galore, from post-match presentations to press conferences and complaints of match officials dominating the headlines over the sport itself.

The format of the Asia Cup meant India and Pakistan met twice more, which brought in an unprecedented level of political statements and passive-aggressive gestures. It all culminated in the trophy saga, where India accused the Pakistan Cricket Board and Asian Cricket Council chief Mohsin Naqvi of getting his ego in the way of his duty and ‘stealing’ the Asia Cup trophy despite the win. Pakistan is claiming the opposite.

It won’t be diabolical to assume that it’s not the end but just the start of such theatrics in India-Pakistan cricket. Except all broadcast and media channels to bring these issues up again and again whenever India’s blue and Pakistan’s green crosses path with staunch refusal to merge on the cricket field.

But when is the next match? You won’t have to wait too long. After three consecutive Sundays of Indo-Pak cricket, there’s a fourth. India takes on Pakistan in the 2025 ICC Women’s World Cup on Sunday, October 5, at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, Sri Lanka — a neutral venue for the game. India will be the favorite there as well, and the expectation is that at least the handshake drama will spill over.

As for the men’s formats, the sides will almost certainly play no bilateral cricket. The Indian government has officially banned it, after all. The next multi-nation tournament, which would involve both, would be the 2026 T20 World Cup, also to be hosted by India and Sri Lanka in February-March

India and Pakistan are generally in the same group, so a group-stage game, likely to be hosted in the island nation, seems like the most probable case.