The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has got the approval for visas for the Pakistan cricket team as well as the touring media for the upcoming T20 World Cup that is scheduled to begin in India in October this year. It was announced at BCCI’s Apex Council meeting yesterday that, BCCI allows Pakistani Cricketers to visit India

The BCCI has informed the apex council that the Indian government has agreed to issue visas to the Pakistan cricketers and the touring media for the T20 World Cup. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ehsan Mani had earlier said that they are looking for visas for not just the players and the media but also for their fans. A failure on that count from the Indian board will push them into asking the International Cricket Council (ICC) to host the tournament in UAE.

The BCCI was given an April 30 deadline by the ICC to furnish in-writing confirmation from the Indian government to issue visas to the Pakistan team. It is believed that the guarantee letter will be submitted with the ICC within the next few days. There has been no decision on accommodating Pakistani spectators as yet.

The T20 World Cup was originally scheduled to be held in Australia in 2020 but was shifted to India for October 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite many reminders by the Pakistan Cricket Board, the BCCI was unable to furnish the Indian government’s NOC on timely issuance of visas to the Pakistan team. However, a few weeks back, the BCCI representative attending the ICC virtual meeting confirmed positive talks with their government.

India and Pakistan have not played bilateral series for many years now due to political tension between the two countries.