New Delhi, India

A final decision on the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy was made on Monday after weeks of deliberation. Pakistan will host the tournament in February and March next year, but India's matches will be played at a neutral venue. An agreement has been made not just for the 2025 Champions Trophy, but for the entire 2024-27 ICC cycle. India-Pakistan matches hosted by either country at ICC Events during the period will be played at a neutral venue. The decision marks a major development in cricketing ties between both countries, which have been affected due to the strained political relations over the last two decades.

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What led to the breakdown?

India and Pakistan's cricketing ties have always been complex. There was no cricket played between the two countries between 1962 and 1977 due to two major wars in 1965 and 1971. Subsequently, there was regular cricket between the two nations till 1999, when there was another suspension due to the Kargil war.

However, a peace process was initiated by Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf in 2004 which led to India touring Pakistan for the first time in 14 years. That launched arguably the most successful period of cricket diplomacy between India and Pakistan. Pakistan also toured India in 2007, but things took a turn for the worse the very next year.

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The Indian cricket team has not travelled to Pakistan since the 2008 Asia Cup, which took place a few months before the 26/11 Mumbai attack. Pakistani terrorists from Lashkar-e-Taiba killed at least 166 people after which both cricketing and political ties have been tense.

The 2009 terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore further put a question mark on Pakistan's ability to provide security to traveling teams. The incident led to a decade-long suspension of Test matches in the country and cost Pakistan its co-hosting rights for the 2011 Cricket World Cup- which was hosted and won by India.

There was a brief attempt at revival with a bilateral series held in India in 2012/13, but subsequent attempts have been blocked. For any series to take place between India and Pakistan, the BCCI now requires clearance from the Indian Government. Test cricket has returned to Pakistan in 2019 with the series against Sri Lanka. Heavyweights Australia, England and New Zealand have all toured Pakistan since, but a bilateral series with India remains off the table.

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Which cricket board has been more affected by the hiatus?

The fortunes of the two cricket boards over the last 15 years have been contrasting, to say the least. The BCCI has grown from strength to strength and established itself as undoubtedly the most powerful and richest cricket board in the world.

The BCCI has not been hurt by the absence of regular matches against their old rivals. The biggest success story for the Indian cricket board in the last decade has been the inception of the IPL, which is the second most valuable franchise league in the world. The IPL is the biggest money-spinner for the BCCI and it has exponentially grown the financial might of Indian cricket.

A recent ICC report revealed that India’s economy got a massive boost of $1.39 billion for organising last year’s ODI World Cup. India received a lion’s share from the ICC income to the tune of 38.5 percent, in contrast, Pakistan’s share is just 5.75 per cent. According to a BCCI document, the board's cash and bank balance for FY2024 is ₹20,686 crore (approx. $2.4 billion). Cricket Australia is next on the list with a revenue of ₹658 crore. The Pakistan Cricket Board's net worth as of September 2024 is ₹458 crore (approx. $55 million), which is approximately 1/50th of the revenue of the BCCI.

How much money do Ind-Pak Matches generate?

The fact that India & Pakistan only meet each other in ICC & multi-team events, it makes the clashes all the more special. It remains the most-awaited match of any ICC tournament. Demographically, 1.639 billion probable viewership comes from only India & Pakistan which is almost 40 per cent of the world’s total cricket viewers. India-Pakistan match is of significant importance for the broadcasters & the sponsors.

According to the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), the estimated revenue generated by India-Pakistan matches in the past 20 years is approximately ₹10,000 crore or $1.3 billion. Here are some staggering stats from some notable recent India-Pak matches:

2023 ODI World Cup

Venue: Ahmedabad

Viewership: 398 Million (digital + broadcast)

2022 T20 World Cup

Venue: Melbourne

Viewership: 256 million viewing hours in India

2019 ODI World Cup

Venue: Manchester

Viewership: 321 million (digital + broadcast)

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What does the future hold?

The adoption of the hybrid model for the 2024-27 cycle will come as a major relief for all cricket fans. However, the fact that all India-Pakistan matches in the next few years will take place on neutral ground will take away some of the energy from the high-octane clashes. Some reports have suggested a triangular series could be possible involving India and Pakistan.

Such an arrangement would have to be approved by the ICC. However, the BCCI's reluctance, a packed cricket calendar and logistical challenges make it unlikely in the 2024-27 cycle. Purist cricket fans will be disappointed as the decision doesn't raise hope of a test match happening between the two nations. The last red ball India-Pakistan match was held in Bengaluru in 2007.

While India has not crossed the border in 16 years, Pakistan did so twice- for the 2016 T20 World Cup and the 2023 ODI World Cup. The latest decision marks a significant shift in the PCB's earlier stance and the board claims the move is an 'equitable arrangement' for the future. The decision certainly gives clarity for the next few years, but it won't put an end to the politicisation of cricket between the two countries.