The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced that the Indian cricket team will not travel to Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Instead, the BCCI plans to request the International Cricket Council (ICC) to relocate their matches to either Sri Lanka or Dubai.
The ICC Champions Trophy is scheduled to be held in Pakistan between February and March 2025. However, due to strained political relations, India has not played cricket in Pakistan since the 2008 Asia Cup. The last bilateral series between the archrivals was played in India from December 2012 to January 2013, with encounters since then limited to ICC tournaments and Asia Cups.
The decision not to travel to Pakistan has been speculated for some time, and it has now been confirmed by BCCI sources citing political reasons. This development comes as another setback for Pakistan’s efforts to host a major ICC event.
In response to the growing speculation, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had proposed that India play all its matches in Lahore. However, the BCCI remains firm in its stance. In May, BCCI Vice-President Rajeev Shukla indicated that the Indian team would visit Pakistan for the tournament only if the Central government permitted it.
“In the case of the Champions Trophy, we will do whatever the Government of India tells us to do. We will send our team only when the Government of India permits. So we will go according to the decision of the Indian government,” Shukla told the media.
The ICC will now face the challenge of addressing the BCCI’s request and finding a suitable resolution that accommodates India’s concerns while maintaining the integrity and schedule of the tournament.
