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Empty seats mark India–Pakistan Asia Cup 2025 clash amid boycott calls: ‘Never seen a stadium so empty’
The Asia Cup cricket match between India and Pakistan took place in an unusually empty stadium in Dubai.
An India-Pakistan cricket match is always a big event, but the Asia Cup 2025 clash between the two teams was missing its usual hype. The unusual sight of empty seats at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium — where the match was played — stood as evidence of lingering hostility between the two countries after the Pahalgam terror attack in April.
Despite calls for a boycott and heightened tensions following India’s ‘Operation Sindoor’ against cross-border terror bases in May, the match went ahead as scheduled.
On the field, India sealed a seven-wicket win, but the contest ended on a tense note when Indian players refused the customary handshake with their counterparts from Pakistan after a collective decision endorsed by an important member of the support staff and okayed by the BCCI.
Empty seats at India-Pak clash
There were several calls to boycott the Asia Cup 2025 match, reflected in the low attendance. While the traditional rivalry between the two teams ensures that tickets get sold out within minutes, this time, a number of seats stood empty.
Pictures shared by news agency ANI show how the stands stood bare.
X user Alexei Arora said he had friends in Dubai who attended the India vs Pakistan match. Arora said that he had himself travelled to Dubai to watch the India-Pak and India-NZ matches earlier this year in the same stadium. “And let me assure you: never in my life have I seen a stadium so empty… that too for an Indo-Pak match,” he said.
Some X users also pointed out how the Dubai International Cricket Stadium has a seating capacity of just 25,000 – and even those seats could not be filled. For some context, the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad has a seating capacity of 132,000
Calls for boycott
Opposition parties on Sunday staged protests across the country to oppose the India-Pakistan Asia Cup cricket match in Dubai, urging people to boycott the contest with a nation that sponsors terror.
Shiv Sena (UBT) organised protests in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Jammu, while Aam Aadmi Party members staged a demonstration in Delhi, according to news agency PTI.
Congress' Deputy Leader in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi slammed the BJP government for going ahead with the India-Pakistan cricket match on Sunday, alleging that it shows the ruling party has "chosen profit over compassion".
He termed it a "betrayal" of national sentiment and "grave insult" to the memory of Pahalgam terror attack victims.
