15 matches are to be played across 20 days, with Lahore hosting the most (7), including the final on March 9, according to the proposed schedule.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has left the ball in the ICC’s court. Although the Champions Trophy 2025 was not on the agenda for the ICC annual meeting in Colombo, we’ve got some insights into the event’s future and whether it’ll be entirely held in Pakistan. With both PCB Chief Mohsin Naqvi and BCCI Secretary Jay Shah present, a chat between the two was bound to happen, even if it was informal.
ICC to convince India for Champions Trophy 2025
The PCB had earlier gotten the Champions Trophy’s draft schedule cleared by the ICC, and now they’ve got the budget approved as well. They’ve done all that was required of them as hosts, and now it’s up to the ICC to convince the BCCI about their travel plans and participation in the event.
“The PCB now has done what was required of it as hosts of the Champions Trophy. It has submitted the draft schedule and format for the event and also submitted budget for the event,” a PCB insider told PTI.
According to the Champions Trophy 2025’s draft schedule, India will play all of their matches at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. The same venue where the semifinals and finals would be played.
“It is now up to the ICC how soon they circulate, discuss and finalize the schedule of the Champions Trophy. The PCB for its part in the draft schedule has suggested hosting all of India’s games in Lahore including a semi-final (if India qualifies) and final,” he added.
For the unaware, India hasn’t traveled to Pakistan since 2008. Last year, the Asia Cup 2023 was supposed to be entirely held in Pakistan, but India forced PCB’s hand, after which the event was played in a hybrid model with Sri Lanka being the co-hosts. This time around, we can expect something similar, with the UAE being the likely co-hosts.
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