In what could be a sensational turnaround, India have apparently refused to host the Asia Cup that is scheduled in September 2018, reports various media outlets in India.

The reason behind the controversial decision is the inclusion of Pakistan in the tournament. It is said that India are reluctant to host Pakistan. Indeed, such is the reluctance that BCCI don’t even want to host the U19 Asia Cup because of Pakistan’s presence.

BCCI, earlier, released their team’s schedule for the upcoming four years, which had almost every team’s participation – except for Pakistan. However, according to several reports in the media, the BCCI will reserve a slot to host a bilateral series with Pakistan somewhere down the line.

This is not the first time that the two boards have clashed as earlier this year, the Pakistan Cricket Board filed a complaint against the BCCI over the latter breaching their memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the two boards.

According to it, India were obligated to play two series against their bitter rivals. However, since it didn’t happen, the PCB are now filing a lawsuit against the Indian board for $70 million.

This decision of the BCCI is going to do nothing but further strain the relation between the two countries. India-Pakistan series are always something that fans look forward to as it creates a lot of hype.