The cricket standoff between India and Pakistan is likely to witness a new chapter at the end of this month, with reports emerging that Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi might attend the IPL final on May 31 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
He is expected to represent Pakistan at the in-person ICC Board meeting on May 30 and 31 in Ahmedabad. The ICC’s chief executives’ committee meeting will be held virtually on May 21. The meetings were originally scheduled to be held in Doha, Qatar, in March-April, but were later shifted to India because of the ongoing crisis in West Asia.
Pakistan news outlet Geo Super, in a report, claimed that Naqvi has received an official invitation to attend the IPL final, but added that it could not be independently verified. Pakistani media reported that the invitation has already been forwarded to the office of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who will take the final decision on whether Naqvi can travel to India.
None of the parties involved – ICC, BCCI and PCB – have issued any statement.
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In the aftermath of Operation Sindoor post the Pahalgam attack, ties between India and Pakistan had hit a new low, with the tensions spilling on to the cricket field as well. Naqvi probable visit assumes importance since, along with heading the PCB, he is also Pakistan’s federal interior minister and the president of the Asian Cricket Council.
Things took a turn for the worse when, after winning the Asia Cup final, Indian players reportedly refused to collect the winner’s trophy from Naqvi. A miffed PCB chief left the stadium with the trophy and medals, and the silverware has since remained locked away in Dubai under his instructions.
The BCCI demanded the trophy be returned and raised the matter with the ICC, but in vain. Naqvi later said that India captain Suryakumar Yadav should collect the trophy from the ACC office.
Whether Naqvi will attend the meeting in person, skip the trip, or whether someone else will represent Pakistan remains to be seen.