England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has refuted the idea of next year’s Champions Trophy taking place without India citing commercial interests.
India, which occupies a share of the monetary sector in the cricketing world, has repeatedly confirmed its stance of not traveling to Pakistan due to the strained relations between the two nations. BCCI’s refusal to allow its team to cross the border has become a major headache for organizers and the rest of the participating nations.Â
Despite the Pakistan Cricket Board’s appeals to leave India out, other cricketing boards are not open to the idea of leaving money on the table.
The ECB’s top executives have now acknowledged that in order to “protect broadcast rights,” no changes will be made to the participating teams in next year’s competition. Chief Executive Richard Gould and Chairman Richard Thompson have hinted at”alternatives and contingencies” that will be followed if India remains firm but have dismissed their ouster from the championship entirely.
“It wouldn’t be in cricket’s best interest for India to miss the Champions Trophy,” Thompson said. “There’s geopolitics involved and cricketing geopolitics. They’ll find a way—because they have to,” he added.
“Without India or Pakistan in the Champions Trophy, the broadcast rights would suffer, and we need to protect that revenue,” he said.
BCCI also refused to send a team to Pakistan for the Asia Cup last year, leading to a hybrid model with India playing its matches in Sri Lanka. Pakistan, on the other hand, decided to participate in the 2023 World Cup in India, a gesture which will likely not be reciprocated.
It also does not bode well for Pakistan that then BCCI Chairman Jay Shah now occupies the Chairmanship of ICC.
Pakistan has not hosted a major ICC event since co-hosting the 1996 Men’s Cricket World Cup while India has not visited Pakistan since 2008.
The Champions Trophy is pencilled in from February 19th to March 9th next year with India’s matches set in the renovated Gaddafi Stadium.
The tournament will feature eight teams divided into two groups of four, followed by the semi-finals and final. Participating nations include Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, and South Africa.
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