Why India boycotted the Asia Cup in 1986? Check what happened after that

Asia Cup 2025 is underway in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The Indian Cricket Team are currently plying their trade in the Asia Cup 2025. The tournament started on 9th September, and the buzz is all around the India vs Pakistan clash, which will be played on 14th September at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai.

Due to the Pahalgham attack, there were calls to boycott the clash and even on the game day, there have been calls to boycott the match. However, the match is still on and will be played as per schedule. But, as per the reports, several parties are silently boycotting the game. 

The reports claimed that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) officials won’t be attending the game in an attempt to silently boycott the game. The clash has been in the news, with several fans and ex-players claiming that they won’t be watching the game. 

Why did India boycotted the Asia Cup in 1986?

With the word ‘boycott’ in trend, the BCCI actually made it happen in 1986, which was the second edition of the Asia Cup. After winning the title in the inaugural edition in 1984, they had to defend it in the 1986 edition, which took place in Sri Lanka. 

However, due to the Civil War in Sri Lanka, India did not travel there as the Government of India instructed the BCCI to pull out. Hence, the tournament was played without India, who were the defending champions at that time. 

What happened after India boycotted the Asia Cup in 1986?

After India boycotted the Asia Cup in 1986, they were replaced by newcomer, Bangladesh, who hadn’t played an ODI by then. However, they didn’t come up with a good performance in the tournament, which ultimately was won by Sri Lanka.

Since then, they have been part of every Asia Cup. In 1988, they also hosted the tournament, where India made a comeback. They defeated Sri Lanka in the final to lift their second Asia Cup title.

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