The Indian Cricket Team is unlikely to travel to Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Instead, they plan to ask the International Cricket Council (ICC) to arrange their matches in Sri Lanka or Dubai, according to a BCCI source who spoke with ANI.
The ICC Champions Trophy is set to be held in Pakistan from February to March 2025. India hasn’t played in Pakistan since the 2008 Asia Cup because of the strained relationship between the two countries. The last time the two nations played a bilateral series was in India from December 2012 to January 2013. Since then, India and Pakistan have only faced each other in ICC tournaments and the Asia Cup.
Given the ongoing tensions, there has been a lot of uncertainty about whether India would participate in the upcoming event.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) suggested that India play all its matches in one city, with Lahore being chosen as the venue, according to ESPNcricinfo. However, the Indian board is not keen on traveling to Pakistan.
A BCCI source told ANI, “India will not travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy 2025. Will tell ICC to hold its matches in Dubai or Sri Lanka.”
In May, BCCI Vice-President Rajeev Shukla mentioned that the Indian team would only go to Pakistan if the central government permitted it. He told ANI, “In the case of the Champion Trophy, we will do whatever the Government of India will tell us to do. We send our team only when the Government of India permits us. So we will go according to the decision of the Indian Government.”
A similar situation occurred during last year’s Asia Cup, which was supposed to be hosted in Pakistan. The PCB had to adopt a hybrid strategy, with all of India’s matches, including those against Pakistan, being held in Sri Lanka. The final, which India won, took place in Colombo. Although Pakistan had proposed a hybrid approach for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in India the previous year, it wasn’t considered.
The previous edition of the ICC Champions Trophy was held in England and Wales in 2017 with Pakistan lifting the trophy.
The Sportz Planet Desk,
Atharva Shetye
