Short-sighted India loses hosting rights for Blind Women's T20 World Cup 2025

India has been stripped of the hosting rights for the 2025 Blind Women’s T20 World Cup following its decision not to travel to Pakistan to play in the ongoing men’s event, as New Delhi continues to drag its feet on visa approvals and travel permissions.

The decision was made during a meeting of the World Blind Cricket Council (WBCC) in Multan, where India’s refusal to grant no-objection certificates (NOCs) to its team for the tournament underway in Pakistan sparked a heated debate among the officials.

India, owing to its short-sighted policies and lack of vision, is well known for refusing visas to the Pakistani team, which was the reason behind the decision to revoke the hosting rights. India had also denied visas to Pakistan’s blind cricket team for the Blind World Cup 2022.

The council also decided that both Pakistan and India would not host international blind cricket until the tensions between the two nations were solved. 

The two nations will only host their events at neutral venues where issues of visas and NOCs do not become obstacles preventing participation.

Moreover, the meeting also decided to retain Pakistan’s Syed Sultan Shah as the chairman of the WBCC.

Pakistan on Sunday thrashed Nepal by 10 wickets in the first semi-final at Multan Cricket Stadium and reached the final of the ongoing Blind T20 World Cup 2024.

Chasing a modest 95-run target, the home side comfortably knocked the winning runs in just 5.3 overs without losing a wicket.

The Green Shirts will face Bangladesh in the Blind T20 World Cup 2024 final, scheduled to be played at the same venue on Tuesday.