BCCI rejects Lahore for India-Pak match

India’s participation in the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is uncertain due to strained relations with Pakistan.

| Updated: 11 July, 2024 2:04 pm IST

India's participation in the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is uncertain due to strained relations with Pakistan. According to a BCCI source, India won't travel to Pakistan for the tournament and will request that its matches be held in Sri Lanka or Dubai instead. The Champions Trophy is scheduled for February to March 2025 in Pakistan.

NEW DELHI: India’s participation in the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is uncertain due to strained relations with Pakistan. According to a BCCI source, India won’t travel to Pakistan for the tournament and will request that its matches be held in Sri Lanka or Dubai instead. The Champions Trophy is scheduled for February to March 2025 in Pakistan.

Due to ongoing tensions, India hasn’t played in Pakistan since the 2008 Asia Cup. The last bilateral series between the two countries occurred in India from December 2012 to January 2013. Since then, they’ve only faced each other in ICC tournaments and the Asia Cup.

The Pakistan Cricket Board suggested that India play all their matches in Lahore to accommodate their participation. However, the Indian board declined the idea of traveling to Pakistan. A BCCI source reiterated that India won’t travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy 2025 and will ask the ICC to hold its matches in Dubai or Sri Lanka.

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In May, BCCI Vice-President Rajeev Shukla said the Indian team would only go to Pakistan if the central government allowed it. He stated, “For the Champions Trophy, we will follow the Indian government’s decision. We only send our team when the government permits it so that we will act according to their decision.”

A similar situation occurred during last year’s Asia Cup, which was initially scheduled to be hosted in Pakistan. The PCB had to adopt a hybrid strategy, holding all of India’s matches, including those against Pakistan, in Sri Lanka. The final, which India won, took place in Colombo. Although Pakistan had suggested using a hybrid approach for the ODI World Cup in India last year, the idea was never seriously considered. Pakistan, the defending champions of the Champions Trophy, won the last tournament in 2017.