A new twist in the 2025 Champions Trophy has thrown the ICC trophy tour into confusion a day before it began in Pakistan, after the BCCI opposed the PCB’s plan to take the tour to Muzaffarabad, which is the capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir. , a disputed territory called PoK in India and Azad Kashmir in Pakistan.
ESPNcricinfo has learned that the BCCI notified the ICC of its objection on Friday, a day after the PCB published a post on X (formerly Twitter) announcing the dates and venues the tour would head to.
It could not be confirmed whether the BCCI raised its objection in writing or verbally. It is understood that it has not yet been approved or rejected and that the ICC is still in talks over the final trophy tour plan.
The PCB’s publication took the ICC by surprise given that it is an ICC event and such communication is usually announced through its channels.
According to the PCB publication, the tour is scheduled to begin on November 16, but given the BCCI’s objection, it was unclear at the time of writing whether it will continue on that day. In its X release, the PCB said the trophy tour would also include other popular tourist destinations including Skardu, Murree and Hunza.
There is a possibility that the tour will begin in an initial phase by taking the trophy – of which Pakistan is the current champion – to the venues that will be used in the tournament – Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi – and then tour the other places during a second phase of the tour.
Get ready, Pakistan!
The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 tour begins in Islamabad on November 16 and will also visit picturesque tourist destinations like Skardu, Murree, Hunza and Muzaffarabad. Take a look at the trophy that Sarfaraz Ahmed lifted in 2017 at The Oval, 16-24… pic.twitter.com/SmsV5uyzlL
– Pakistan cricket (@TheRealPCB) November 14, 2024
Communication on the matter is believed to have since taken place between PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi and ICC leaders in a bid to resolve the issue. But the PCB insists that the questions it has posed to the ICC be answered.
The PCB has set February 19 to March 9 as dates for the eight-team Champions Trophy, but the ICC is yet to formally release the dates and schedule of the tournament.
