According to reports, India are unlikely to tour Pakistan for the Champions Trophy 2025.©AFP
Pakistan is scheduled to host the Champions Trophy 2025 from February 19 to March 9 next year. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has already sent the official draft of the tournament schedule to the International Cricket Council (ICC). According to officials, the highly anticipated match between arch rivals India and Pakistan will be played at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on March 1. The PCB had said in the official draft that all India’s group stage matches will be played in Lahore due to security reasons.
However, the biggest question still remains whether India will tour Pakistan for the tournament, given the political differences between the two countries.
Reports suggest that India is unlikely to tour Pakistan, but the final decision on the team’s tour will be taken by the central government.
“There have been no discussions about the Champions Trophy but I think it is unlikely that the government will take a final decision on travelling to Pakistan,” a source told Sports Tuck.
Pakistan was due to host the Asia Cup last year but the Indian team did not get permission from the government after which it was decided that Sri Lanka would host India’s matches.
Asked whether a hybrid model could be adopted this time too, a BCCI source said a decision on the same could be taken at the next ICC board meeting.
“We have not discussed it. The government will decide and we will follow it. It is an ICC event and we cannot take a decision on the tournament. The next ICC meeting may shed some light on the Champions Trophy,” he added.
The sour political relations between India and Pakistan have had a major impact on cricketing ties between the two countries.
The last time the two sides played a bilateral series was in 2012-13, when Pakistan toured India and played multiple ODIs and T20Is.
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