India Opens Its Doors to Pakistani Athletes — But Not to Bilateral Cricket

India and Pakistan cricket fans holding flags in a stadium

India has formally opened its doors to Pakistani athletes for international tournaments held on its soil — but cricket fans hoping for a revival of the famous bilateral rivalry will have to wait. The Indian sports ministry announced a new policy saying Pakistani players and teams can take part in multilateral events hosted by India, while the ban on bilateral sporting contests between the two countries stays firmly in place.

Under the policy, the visa process for Pakistani sportspersons, officials, and representatives of international sports federations will be simplified, and office bearers of global sporting bodies will get multi-entry visas. The ministry said that for international and multilateral events it is guided by the practices of international sports bodies and the interests of its own athletes. But it added bluntly: "Indian teams will not be participating in competitions in Pakistan. Nor will we permit Pakistani teams to play in India."

The move follows a tense year between the nuclear-armed neighbours, who engaged in a military confrontation in 2025. The two countries have not played a full bilateral cricket series since 2012-13, and now meet mostly at neutral venues — earlier this year, when India co-hosted the T20 World Cup, Pakistan played all of its matches in Sri Lanka. Pakistani players are also absent from the lucrative Indian Premier League, and it remains unclear whether the new policy changes that. India is set to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games and has bid for the 2036 Olympics, which is partly what the new policy is designed to serve.

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