India has withdrawn from the T20 Blind World Cup in Pakistan amid tensions regarding the upcoming edition of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. According to a report by India Today, the Blind Cricket team has withdrawn from the tournament after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not grant him authorization to travel.
The fourth Men’s Blind T20 World Cup will be held from November 22 to December 4. The Ministry of Youth and Sports has issued a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for the Indian team to participate, but it cannot travel to Pakistan without permission from the Ministry of External Affairs.
India denied travel to Pakistan for Champions Trophy 2025
The Indian government’s decision to deny permission to the Blind Cricket team to travel to Pakistan follows the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) stance of not sending the men’s cricket team for the Champions Trophy in Pakistan . Notably, the Champions Trophy is unlikely to be held without India.
India is the defending champion of the Blind T20 World Cup, having won all three editions held in 2012, 2017 and 2022. India defeated Bangladesh by 120 runs in the 2022 final at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The Indian team set a solid total of 277/2 and restricted Bangladesh to 157/3.
We can’t wait any longer – Shailendra Yadav
Shailendra Yadav, general secretary of the Indian Blind Cricket Association, confirmed that the Ministry of External Affairs denied permission to travel to the team. Yadav said they would not be granted permission. He added that the association decided to withdraw based on verbal communication.
“We were waiting for the last 25 days to get permission from the government to go to Pakistan. Now we can’t wait any longer as the tournament is about to begin,” Yadav told India Today.
“When I spoke to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on phone, they told us that we would not get any permission to go to Pakistan and that we could cancel their tournament.”
“We were also told that we would receive an official letter of denial. However, we have not received any official letter yet, but based on our conversation with MEA we have decided not to go to Pakistan and will not participate in the T20 Blind World Cup.”
Pakistan will get a free ride – Shailendra Yadav
Shailendra Yadav said India, along with England, Australia and New Zealand, will not participate in the Blind T20 World Cup. He stated that the players’ hard work would be in vain.
Yadav also added that the absence of these teams would leave Pakistan out of the game. He further mentioned that the decision was made because they had to withdraw when there was little time left, since the team was scheduled to leave on November 20 and no change seemed possible with such short notice.
“Along with us, England, Australia and New Zealand are also not coming. Therefore, India will be the fourth team not to participate in this tournament. However, it is a bit sad for cricket in general as cricket is a game for everyone.” “The match between India and Pakistan is closely followed by the fans and both are really good teams. Now Pakistan will have the victory and it is also tragic for the players who have been working hard for a long time.”
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