The Pakistan Cricket Board suggested that India play all its matches in Lahore, but the BCCI remains uninterested in sending the team to Pakistan.
The Indian cricket team will not travel to Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Instead, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) plans to request the International Cricket Council (ICC) to relocate their matches to either Sri Lanka or Dubai, according to BCCI sources quoted by newswire ANI.
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The ICC Champions Trophy is scheduled to take place in Pakistan between February and March 2025. Due to ongoing political tensions, India has not played in Pakistan since the 2008 Asia Cup.
The last bilateral series between India and Pakistan occurred in India from December 2012 to January 2013. Since then, the two teams have only faced each other in ICC tournaments and Asia Cups.
BCCI’s Reluctance to Play in Pakistan
Speculation about India not traveling to Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 has been circulating for some time. The Pakistan Cricket Board suggested that India play all its matches in Lahore, but the BCCI remains uninterested in sending the team to Pakistan. In May, BCCI Vice-President Rajeev Shukla stated that the Indian team would only participate if the Indian government permitted.
“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 ANI.
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Historical Context
India recently won the Asia Cup 2023, with the final held in Colombo. Although Pakistan proposed a hybrid model for participating in the ODI World Cup 2023 in India, the suggestion was not adopted.
The ICC Champions Trophy has seen various outcomes in the past. Pakistan won the tournament in 2017. In 2002, India and Sri Lanka were declared joint winners after the final match and the reserve day were washed out due to rain. India also claimed victory in the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy, defeating England in the final.