If India declines to travel to Pakistan for the 2025 Champions Trophy, ICC has a backup plan ready.
According to reports, the Pakistani government has requested the board not to move any games outside of the nation, which has led to a further standoff over the ICC Champions Trophy’s model. The Indian government’s decision to not deploy its squad across the border was recently communicated to the International Cricket Council (ICC) by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
However, after gaining the right to host the entire tournament domestically, Pakistan was also adamant about not allowing a single match to take place outside of the nation. On the subject, the PCB had asked the Pakistani government for help. The Pakistani government has reportedly refused to let the export of any games, according to a report published in Indian Express.
“When the time comes, we will stand by our government’s directive to keep all games inside Pakistan. We recently learned about India’s decision from the ICC. On condition of anonymity, a PCB official told the newspaper, “We have the hosting rights for the Champions Trophy, so there is no way we can move the games outside Pakistan. In a video posted to his YouTube account, former Pakistani cricketer Basit Ali reaffirmed the same, stating that the PCB has been prohibited by the government from embracing the hybrid model.
The Champions Trophy’s future is in jeopardy since India is unwilling to cross the border due to security concerns and Pakistan is eager to host the entire event domestically.
PCB’s proposal for India in the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy is to play in Pakistan and return home the same day.
According to a previous report, if the PCB and BCCI are unable to reach an agreement, the event may also be moved to South Africa. Pakistan is unlikely to take part in the event if that occurs. According to a previous report, if the PCB and BCCI are unable to reach an agreement, the event may also be moved to South Africa. Pakistan is unlikely to take part in the event if that occurs. According to a previous report, if the PCB and BCCI are unable to reach an agreement, the event may also be moved to South Africa. Pakistan is unlikely to take part in the event if that occurs.
According to some proposals, the competition may go ahead without either of the two teams, although ICC’s earnings would be severely impacted by such a concession. Cricket matches between India and Pakistan provide a robust revenue-producing system for the ICC and other teams in addition to earning revenue for the boards of the two sides.
Pakistan will host the competition from February 19 to March 9 in 2025, marking the return of the ICC Champions Trophy. However, given the continuing political and diplomatic difficulties between the two countries, the choice to host the event in Pakistan has generated serious questions over India’s participation. There is uncertainty about whether India will travel to Pakistan for the matches because Pakistan is the reigning champion and the tournament’s return was scheduled in 2021 after a break since 2017.
PCB assigns ICC the responsibility of convincing India to visit to Pakistan for the 2025 Champions Trophy.
If India decides not to travel to Pakistan, the ICC has reportedly set aside a budget of about $65 million to cover the costs of holding matches in other countries in order to handle any potential problems. In order to ensure that all scenarios are covered, this decision was made during the ICC’s recent AGM in Colombo. If necessary, the budget accounts for costs associated with holding the event outside of Pakistan.
Significant improvements have been made to the three suggested match locations as a result of a planning meeting and venue inspections that were held in Pakistan in March 2024. The draft schedule states that India will play in Lahore, with a high-profile match against Pakistan scheduled for March 1.
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India will also play New Zealand on February 23 and Bangladesh on February 20 in the group stage. Notwithstanding the planning, the ICC’s contingency plan highlights the lingering uncertainties and the value of adaptability in handling the tournament’s logistics.
The Indian squad can camp in New Delhi or Chandigarh/Mohali and take chartered aircraft to Lahore for their matches, according to a “verbal” suggestion made by the PCB to the BCCI.
