The impasse in the Champions Trophy has been reached to an end. A breakthrough to this issue is here and it will be played in a hybrid model.
This long-disputed issue of India not traveling to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy (CT) 2025 has been resolved now. The issue has been prolonged for a month now as the International Cricket Council (ICC), the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have been discussing the potential resolution.
Finally, all parties have agreed that all India-Pakistan games in the current cycle of 2024-2027 will be played in a neutral country.
Here is what ICC said in a statement. “This will apply to the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 (Pakistan), ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 (India) and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 (India and Sri Lanka).”
It effectively means that India-Pakistan games in the upcoming 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup will be played in Sri Lanka rather than in India.
However, there is no clarity on which will be the neutral venue for the Champions Trophy 2025. It remains uncertain whether UAE or Sri Lanka will host the India-Pakistan games. The PCB is favoring Sri Lanka as the neutral venue; however, logistical convenience may tilt the decision towards the UAE. ICC said that the neutral venue for the upcoming Champions Trophy will be announced soon.
In the meantime, the ICC has also awarded a new global event of the next cycle to Pakistan. Here is what ICC said in a statement. “In addition, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has been awarded hosting rights of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in 2028, where neutral venue arrangements will also apply. Cricket Australia has also been awarded hosting rights for one of the senior ICC women’s events during the period 2029 to 2031.”
