Asia Cup 2023 future will be decided over next week - Reports

PCB and BCCI are at loggerheads over Asia Cup 2023 hosting venue.

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) chief Shammi Silva will be attending the IPL 2023 final on the invitation of the BCCI, which will take place on May 28, 2023, and will be played at the iconic Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

The SLC President has reportedly said that while he visits India for the final of the IPL, there will be talks on the Asia Cup 2023 as well, and possibly the fate of the tournament will be decided by the end of next week.

The Asia Cup may depend greatly on how the tensions between India and Pakistan's cricket governing bodies play out during the upcoming week. The tournament is presently being hosted by Pakistan, but BCCI has refused to send a team for security reasons and has requested a location change.

Pakistan, however, is adamant about hosting the game on home soil, and according to a PTI report, the PCB even suggested using a hybrid format to run the competition.  According to PCB CEO Najam Sethi, a straightforward solution is to allow "India to play its matches at a neutral venue and Pakistan to play its Asia Cup matches at home."

I think the fate of Asia Cup 2023 will be decided over the next week: SLC Chief Shammi Silva

Pakistan's plans to host a multi-nation ICC event, however, may suffer a setback because Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, two other ACC members, reportedly also want that the competition to be held somewhere neutral.

The ACC has not yet made a final decision on the matter, but according to the most recent information, it may do so within the next week.

Along with other dignitaries, Shammi Silva, who was recently re-elected as the president of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), is anticipated to attend the IPL play-offs, which begin on Tuesday (May 23).

“We have been invited to witness IPL play-offs in India and during that trip there will be discussions on the Asia Cup 2023. Nothing has been decided yet. But I think the fate of Asia Cup 2023 will be decided over the next week or so” Silva told reporters in Sri Lanka on Sunday.

It would be interesting to see how the debate plays out because Pakistan has called for a complete boycott of the 50-over World Cup, depending on BCCI's position on the Asia Cup.

After the Asia Cup, India is scheduled to host the World Cup.