Uddhav Thackeray Condemns India-Pakistan Cricket Match, Sena (UBT) Plans ‘Sindoor’ Protest
Shiv Sena (UBT) Chief Calls Match an Affront to Soldiers’ Sacrifices, Questions BCCI’s Defiance Amid Pahalgam Attack Fallout
NewsArc Bureau
Mumbai, September 13, 2025 – Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray has fiercely criticized the upcoming India-Pakistan Asia Cup cricket match scheduled for Sunday in Dubai, branding it an “insult to national sentiments” while Indian soldiers continue to sacrifice their lives amid heightened border tensions. Announcing statewide ‘sindoor’ protests by his party’s women workers, Thackeray urged a boycott of the match, citing the lingering wounds from the April 22, 2025, Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 tourists and prompted India’s Operation Sindoor against Pakistan-based terror infrastructure.
Speaking at a press conference in Mumbai on Saturday, Thackeray questioned the BJP-led central government’s decision to allow the match, asking, “Should we be playing cricket with Pakistan while our soldiers sacrifice their lives on the borders?” He invoked the legacy of Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray, recalling his stance that cricket with Pakistan should cease until terrorism stops. “If blood and water cannot flow together, how can cricket and blood go together?” Thackeray remarked, accusing the BJP of trading patriotism for political gains.
The Sena (UBT) leader announced that party workers would collect sindoor (vermilion) to send to the Prime Minister’s Office as a symbolic protest, drawing parallels to the US boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympics over the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Thackeray also criticized India’s foreign policy as “weak,” questioning the government’s commitment to reclaiming Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir and its contradictory stance of playing cricket with a nation it accuses of sponsoring terrorism.
Aaditya Thackeray, Uddhav’s son and a former Maharashtra minister, amplified the criticism on X, questioning the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)’s insistence on playing Pakistan. “Five months after the cowardly Pahalgam attack, nobody knows how the terrorists came in. The Prime Minister said blood and water cannot flow together, yet the BCCI is desperate to play Pakistan. Does the BCCI have no shame, no feelings for those killed in the massacre or for our armed forces?” Aaditya posted, noting Pakistan’s boycott of the Asia Cup Hockey in India as a counterpoint.
The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction countered Uddhav’s stance, with MP Naresh Mhaske arguing that India-Pakistan matches in multilateral tournaments like the Asia Cup have occurred even during tense relations under Congress-led governments. “UBT has no moral right to oppose the match after abandoning Hindutva for power,” Mhaske said. Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, from the NCP, acknowledged differing opinions, stating, “In a country of 140 crore, some may oppose the match due to strained relations, while others support it.”
The controversy follows the May 2025 launch of Operation Sindoor, a targeted military campaign to dismantle terror networks across the Line of Control after the Pahalgam attack. Aaditya Thackeray noted that while the Defence Minister recently announced a pause in the operation, the BCCI’s decision to proceed with the match has sparked widespread outrage, with critics arguing it undermines India’s anti-terrorism stance.
As protests loom and public sentiment simmers, the India-Pakistan match—typically a high-octane sporting event—faces unprecedented scrutiny, with the Sena (UBT)’s ‘sindoor’ campaign signaling a broader call for accountability in India’s diplomatic and sporting decisions.
