LAHORE: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has informed the International Cricket Council (ICC) that India will not travel to Pakistan to participate in the Champions Trophy 2025, the ESPNcricinfo reported.
According to Cricket website, the BCCI officially informed the ICC that the Indian government advised against sending the team to Pakistan.
The 9th edition of the Champions Trophy is scheduled to take place in Pakistan in the February-March window in 2025; however, India’s participation in the tournament was uncertain as the BCCI sought the government’s approval.
With time running out for finalizing the fixtures of the Champions Trophy, the ICC had set the BCCI a deadline for Friday (Nov 8) to confirm its venue preference, and plans to send its security officials to Pakistan for a recce next week.
In an interaction with the media earlier on Friday, Mohsin Naqvi, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), said that the cricket board has not received any formal confirmation from the BCCI on their decision to skip Pakistan for the Champions Trophy 2025.
“Although there’s a lot of talk [in media] that India may not come, we have received no official statement [from the BCCI],” said Mohsin Naqvi. “Our stance is that India should give us a written confirmation if they are not coming for the Champions Trophy.” Naqvi reiterated that the PCB is not considering a hybrid model and is determined to host the Champions Trophy 2025 in Pakistan.
“We maintain that the Champions Trophy will only be hosted in Pakistan, and there’s been no discussion of a hybrid model,” he added.
“We will provide all necessary facilities and security to all visiting teams, and we hope international fans will come here to watch the matches.”
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