New Delhi

India and Pakistan are set to face off each other on February 23 in the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025 Group A fixture in UAE. The development comes after UAE was finalized as the venue for India's matches post much debate as reported by cricket news website ESPNCricinfo.

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India and Pakistan were in deadlock after the Board on Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) refused to send the Indian team to Pakistan due to security concerns. The impasse lasted weeks as Pakistan was firm in its demand to host the entire tournament and rejected the hybrid model.

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The tussle was settled after both boards agreed to not travel to each other's country for the ICC tournaments till 2027. The drama ended with the UAE being selected as the neutral venue for India to play its matches, including the semi-final and the final if they make it that far.

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"The PCB has picked the UAE as a neutral venue for the Champions Trophy," PCB spokesperson Amir Mir said, as reported by ESPNCricinfo.

India are in Group A along with Pakistan, Bangladesh and New Zealand. They start their campaign vs Bangladesh on February 20 before facing Pakistan. Their last league game against New Zealand will be played on March 2.

The first semi-final will be played on March 4 and the final is scheduled on March 9—both in the UAE if India make it, else these matches will be played in Pakistan.

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As for Pakistan, the defending champions kickoff their campaign against New Zealand in Karachi on February 19 before facing India in UAE. Their last group-stage fixture is against Bangladesh on February 27 in Rawalpindi.

The eight-team tournament has Australia, South Africa, England and Afghanistan in Group B. All of their fixtures will be played across three venues in Pakistan - Karachi, Rawalpindi and Lahore. The second semi-final on March 5, which has a reserve day, will also be played in Pakistan.