2025 Champions Trophy venue likely to change as BCCI remains firm on not travelling to Pakistan - Reports
2025 Champions Trophy likely to move out of Pakistan due to BCCI's stance
For the second straight time, Pakistan is on the brink of losing the hosting rights of a multi-team tournament, this time of the 2025 Champions Trophy, due to India and BCCI's stance of not sending their team to the country.
Due to disturbed political relations between both countries, and security being a major concern, India had opted out of playing the 2022 Asia Cup in Pakistan - the original host. The tournament later was played in the hybrid model, with Sri Lanka and Pakistan co-hosting it.
The latest reports have suggested that Pakistan might suffer the same fate again, depending on the BCCI's stance.
However, if the Indian government and the cricket board decide against sending the team to Pakistan for the 2025 Champions Trophy, the tournament would be played entirely in the UAE or the hybrid model, with Pakistan hosting non-India matches.
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As per a report of news agency PTI, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Zaka Ashraf and COO Salman Naseer met the ICC executive board in Ahmedabad to discuss uncertainty surrounding the venue of the 2025 Champions Trophy.
“Pakistani officials discussed the probability of the Indian board (BCCI) again refusing to send its team to Pakistan and made it clear that in any given situation, the ICC must avoid taking unilateral decisions on the tournament,” a source told PTI.
The PCB's top bosses argue that several top teams have toured Pakistan in the past two years, including England, New Zealand and Australia, without any team facing or complaining about security concerns.
They added that if India insists on complaining on security grounds, the ICC must appoint an independent security agency, which could liaise with the Pakistan government and their security officials to assess the situation of the participating teams, including India.
“The PCB officials said many top teams had toured Pakistan in the last two years without any security concerns. They also made it clear that in case of India not sending its team and its matches being moved to another country, then the ICC must compensate Pakistan for this,” the source added.
The return of the Champions Trophy
The ICC Champions Trophy - an eight-team event in 2025, will return for the first time since 2017 when Pakistan beat India to win their maiden title.
While India and Australia have won it twice, with the Men in Blue last winning in 2013, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, West Indies and South Africa have won it once.
