Big turnaround for Team India in the Champions Trophy!Image credit source: Alex Davidson-ICC/ICC via Getty Images
The Champions Trophy 2025 will be held in Pakistan in February. But the ICC has not yet announced the schedule of this tournament. At the same time, despite the poor relations between India and Pakistan and the security threat in Pakistan, PCB is hopeful that the Indian team will come to their country for this tournament. In such a situation, PCB had kept all of Team India’s matches in Lahore in the preliminary schedule. But now the Pakistan Cricket Board is set to make changes to the schedule of the 2025 Champions Trophy it will host, backing down from its previous position.
Big turnaround for Team India in the Champions Trophy!
According to the PTI report, India’s matches in the Champions Trophy 2025 could be held in the United Arab Emirates. This means that the tournament will be played in a hybrid model. At the beginning of 2023, the Asia Cup was also held only in a hybrid model. Even then the host was Pakistan. In such a situation, India played its matches in Sri Lanka because the government refused to allow the players to cross the border.
Indian matches can be held at these two venues.
A reliable PCB source told PTI: ‘The PCB is of the view that even if the Indian government does not approve the tour of Pakistan, some changes can be made in the schedule as there is a good chance that India will play its matches in Dubai or Sharjah. ‘In such a situation, it will be interesting to see when the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) takes the final decision on this matter. When the final decision is likely to be made, the ICC will be headed by India’s Jay Shah.
Tournament may be announced soon
According to the report, the Champions Trophy 2025 schedule can be announced on November 11. In fact, PCB is pressuring ICC to announce the tournament schedule next week. The source said: “The PCB has discussed with the ICC the possible schedule they sent a few months ago and wants the same schedule to be announced on November 11.” He has told the ICC that an alternative plan with a revised budget already exists, so there is no point in delaying the publication of the possible schedule.
The source said the PCB has also asked the ICC to put pressure on the BCCI to confirm whether they will send their team to Pakistan for the tournament to be held in February-March next year. The source said: “The PCB wants the BCCI to communicate in writing whether it has permission from its government to send its team to Pakistan or not.”
