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| Indian Team Will Not Go To Pakistan For Champions Trophy: Indian Media Claims - ESPN/ICC |
Scheduled for February-March 2025, Pakistan has been granted the opportunity to host the ICC Champions Trophy. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has unveiled the tournament schedule, detailing that all of India's matches will be held at Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium.
As per the PCB's released schedule, the traditional rivalry clash between Pakistan and India is slated for 1st March at Gaddafi Stadium. However, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has not confirmed nor denied the Indian team's intention to travel to Pakistan.
The last edition of the Champions Trophy, held in 2017, saw Pakistan triumph over India in the final.
Nevertheless, reports from Indian media outlets suggest strong indications that the Indian team may opt out of traveling to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy, proposing instead that some matches of the tournament could be relocated to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) or Sri Lanka.
It is emphasized that the ultimate decision lies with the Indian government, as work continues on a potential hybrid model for the tournament. This arrangement could potentially see India playing their matches in either Sri Lanka or the UAE, similar to the setup used for the Asia Cup.
On the contrary, PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi has unequivocally affirmed that Pakistan will host the Champions Trophy, with the entire tournament set to take place within Pakistan. This matter will also be addressed during the upcoming ICC meeting scheduled for late July in Sri Lanka.
It is noteworthy that no bilateral series between Pakistan and India has taken place since 2013, and the Indian cricket team has not participated in any tournaments hosted in Pakistan since 2008.
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