The BCCI has informed the ICC that India will not travel to Pakistan to participate in the Champions Trophy 2025. ESPNcricinfo understands that the BCCI told the ICC that the Indian government had advised it not to send the team to Pakistan. The eight-team Champions Trophy is scheduled to be played at three venues in Pakistan between February 19 and March 9, but this development means the ICC and PCB will need to activate a contingency plan, likely involving a hybrid model in which the teams will travel between Pakistan. and a second headquarters.
The ICC was informed of the BCCI’s stance earlier this week, although it could not be confirmed whether the BCCI had orally communicated its decision. The ICC may be seeking written communication before it can be transmitted to the PCB. Naqvi had insisted on Friday that the PCB would need “in writing” any objections the BCCI had and, if so, he would have to discuss it with his government before taking any final decision.
ESPNcricinfo has sought responses from the ICC, PCB and BCCI on the developments.
Naqvi’s stance on Friday was notably more unequivocal than he has been on the issue, insisting that the PCB was not “prepared to accept” the hybrid model. He referred to the “grand gestures” the PCB had made earlier, when the team traveled to India to play the ODI World Cup in 2023, despite India refusing to travel to Pakistan for the previous Asia Cup. . That tournament eventually adopted a hybrid model, with the latter stages being played in Sri Lanka. He also made it clear that any future travel from Pakistan to India would not be a given and would be a decision of the government.
The Champions Trophy will feature eight teams, with two groups of four followed by semifinals and a final. The participating teams are Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan and South Africa. Monday, November 11 will mark 100 days until the start of the event, although the schedule and ticket sales details have not yet been announced. ESPNcricinfo has also been told that a scheduling announcement event in Lahore next week is likely to be postponed due to these developments.
As a result of the strained political ties between the two countries, India has not traveled to Pakistan since the 2008 Asia Cup, despite the latter playing several ICC events in India, including the 2023 World Cup. Since then, the teams have only played one bilateral series, a white-ball tour that Pakistan undertook in 2012-13.
