The mind games and drama around India-Pakistan games seem to have no ending. With the handshake row hangover yet to die down fully, the rivalry saga has added a new chapter on Saturday (September 20), a day before the two teams battle again in the Super 4s stage of the ongoing Asia Cup tournament. Earlier, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav addressed the media at the pre-match press conference although he also chose to keep his focus away from questions having the rivalry angle.
Pakistan team has cancelled its pre-match press conference ahead of Super 4 clash with India. Will another boycott drama be played out? #AsiaCup #IndvsPak @BCCI @ACCMedia1
— Vijay Tagore (@vijaymirror) September 20, 2025
Meanwhile, Pakistan opted not to show up at all for the press conference in a move that surprised everyone. There were rumours of them boycotting the tournament prior to the last league game against United Arab Emirates but the match did happen eventually. Also, Haris Rauf fronted up to the media for the post-match press conference, hinting that Salman Ali Agha's men have probably moved on from the India game, both physically and mentally. Now, with just a day to go for the India-Pakistan rematch, this gesture from Pakistan to skip the press conference comes as an unexpected twist. It also adds some more spice into a contest that is likely to have a lot more intensity than it did in the league encounter.
Remember, they did the same before the UAE clash and that match was eventually delayed as negotiations from ICC and PCB prevented Pakistan's boycott from the tournament. Now that they have boycotted another pre-match press conference, there is an air of uncertainty ove Sunday's fixture. PCB's anger at the ICC regarding match referee Andy Pycroft hasn't been settled yet and if anything, Mohsin Naqvi's frustrations have only increased. Not only was Pakistan's demand to remove Pycroft rejected by the ICC, but the Zimbabwean was also in-charge of the game against UAE. He is also expected to officiate in the Super 4s fixture between India and Pakistan. All this hasn't gone down well with the Pakistan camp.
However, the officials for the match haven't been named yet and perhaps, there could be a possibility of him not featuring in the game. Pakistan are expected to have their training session in the evening and as per reports, that hasn't been cancelled yet. Nevertheless, it is difficult to predict the future and unless the game actually happens tomorrow, it would be difficult to assume that all is well in the Pakistan camp.
