The long-awaited fate of the Asia Cup is expected to be settled today at the grand finale of the Indian Premier League in Ahmedabad.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had linked its participation in the World Cup to hosting the Asia Cup, and a positive outcome during the discussions in Ahmedabad could prevent a standoff in the lead up to the 50-over mega event.

The BCCI has invited the heads of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB), and BCB, and it is believed that there could be an announcement after the meeting among the Asian boards on the sidelines of the final.

It was learned that although Bangladesh Cricket Board president Nazmul was invited there to attend the sidelines, he will not be available due to a personal occupation, but he insisted that it won’t be a big issue.

'If I can't go, there will still be a conversation with them (members of the other boards associated with the ACC,' Nazmul told reporters recently.

'There were some major concerns for us, such as avoiding excessive travel, like playing in one country today and in another country the next day. We have tried to avoid this type of travel before the World Cup. Secondly, playing one-day matches in extremely hot weather is very challenging. Cricketers can fall ill in such conditions, so we have highlighted those issues,'  he said.

Meanwhile, a BCB official said that even if the regional competition was played in the United Arab Emirates, considering the scorching heat over there, the matches would start after sunset.

Unfriendly weather conditions in the UAE will also be debated during the Ahmedabad meeting, as the Sri Lanka and Bangladesh boards had previously refused to play the continental championship there because of the baking heat in September. The PCB, however, is in favor of holding the matches in the UAE.

The hybrid model, proposed by the PCB, the designated host of the Asia Cup, was to have matches divided between Pakistan and the UAE, with India playing its games in the UAE.

The model was resisted by the BCCI, and PCB Chief Najam Sethi then presented a diluted model with Pakistan getting to host only four games and the rest in the UAE. Clarity will emerge during the meetings in Ahmedabad over the second venue.

Jay Shah, the BCCI secretary who is also the president of the ACC, said that they are expected to fix all the issues surrounding the Asia Cup.

'The respective presidents of the Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Sri Lanka Cricket Boards will grace the Tata IPL 2023 final to be held on May 28 at the Narendra Modi Stadium. We will hold discussions with them to outline the future course of action in relation to the Asia Cup 2023,' said Shah.