Pakistan Cricket Board to host ICC Champions Trophy 2025 on hybrid model; India might play in Dubai and Sharjah

Hyderabad: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have stated that they are willing to make adjustments to the schedule and venues of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 to accommodate India’s stand of not travelling to Pakistan.

Pakistan, the hosts of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, have provisionally scheduled all India’s matches at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

However, given the political scenario between India and Pakistan, the Indian government would not grant the necessary clearances for the cricket team to travel to Pakistan for the marquee tournament. Accordingly, the PCB is now mulling to host the tournament in a hybrid model with India playing all their matches in the United Arab Emirates.

This would be the second time Pakistan will be hosting a marquee multi-nation tournament on a hybrid model. The Asia Cup in 2023 was hosted the same way after India expressed their inability to travel to Pakistan. The tournament was co-hosted by Sri Lanka with India playing all their matches in the island nation. Since India qualified for the knockout stages of the tournament, the final was also played in Sri Lanka.

According to news reports, India could play all their matches in Dubai or Sharjah, with Pakistan playing all their matches at home.

It remains to be seen how logistically feasible it would be for other teams to play Pakistan and other teams in Pakistan and meet India in the UAE.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) is also waiting for a word from the PCB on the change in the tournament schedule. The ICC, on their part, cannot ask any cricket board to go against their government’s policy and the call to hold the tournament on a hybrid basis lies only with the Pakistan Cricket Board.

The ICC is waiting to announce the schedule for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 by next week.

According to a provisional schedule released by the PCB, the ICC Champions Trophy is scheduled to commence on February 19, 2025 with Pakistan and New Zealand playing in Karachi. The PCB has scheduled the final on March 9, 2025, at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

The PCB is hosting the tournament in Karachi, Rawalpindi and Lahore and the cricket board is currently revamping the stadiums in the three venues.