There is no clear information on whether the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 will take place in Pakistan, if India will be given the official permission to activate the hybrid model, or will the event take place at all. There is no clarity on that. The BCCI has already taken its stance on them not sending their side for security concerns.
The designated Champions Trophy 2025 was scheduled to take place in Pakistan from the third week of February to the second week of March. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) wanted to play their games either in Dubai or Sri Lanka, but the PCB chairman, Mohsin Naqvi, at the start, wasn’t firm on the decision.
Later, having gone through some of the ICC meetings, a ray of hope was seen when the PCB agreed to the hybrid model, through some of the conditions of increment in the revenue or the decision to host the future ICC events in India in the same manner.
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The upcoming 2026 T20 World Cup will be taking place jointly in India and Sri Lanka, along with the 2029 Champions Trophy, followed by the former co-hosting the Men’s ODI World Cup in 2031 with Bangladesh.
Shoaib Akhtar makes strange claim on India dying to play in Pakistan
Amidst all of this mayhem, the former Pakistan pacer, Shoaib Akhtar, had made a stunning claim on the Blue Brigade dying to play in Pakistan, but the only issue for them was not getting the clearance from the government.
“India is dying more than Pakistan to play in Pakistan. Virat Kohli would probably be dying to play in Pakistan. I know what is happening. If India vs Pakistan lands, TV rights sponsorships are going to hit the roof. Let me tell you, tell you (Mohammad Hafeez). They are not coming because of the government.” Akhtar noted during a recent discussion on television.
Kohli has always found a love affair facing Pakistan, having drilled 678 runs in 16 innings at an average of 52.15 and a strike rate of around 100 with the help of two half-centuries and three centuries. When it comes to facing the opposition in the shortest format of the game, the right-handed batter has smashed 492 runs in 11 innings at an average of around 70 with a strike rate of 123.93, thanks to five half-centuries.
The new ICC chairman, Jay Shah, who was also the former BCCI secretary, didn’t comment on the future of the Champions Trophy 2025 besides expressing the outlines for his team, which included the sport’s inclusion in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games as an opportunity and further accelerating the growth of the women’s game.
A report has also claimed that Shah has called for a virtual Board meeting on the fifth day of December without any specific agenda. There is no guarantee that they will be discussing the Champions Trophy 2025.
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The PCB has already renovated three of its most popular grounds for the smooth conduction of the ICC event in the form of the Rawalpindi Stadium, the National Stadium in Karachi, and the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
The PCB allocated the Gaddafi Stadium for India to play all of their games along with the semifinal and final, which would have allowed them to keep on going with not much travel in the country. But, at present, the hybrid model seems to be the only solution. The stakeholders and sponsors have been working hard with the ICC to confirm the schedule and venue for the event.