Agency :
The 2025 Champions Trophy may be hosted in either Sri Lanka or the UAE, as India has expressed reluctance to travel to Pakistan for the tournament, according to a report by news agency ANI on Thursday.
India are likely to request the ICC to hold the Champions Trophy in either Sri Lanka or Dubai. “India will not travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy 2025. Will tell ICC to hold its matches in Dubai or Sri Lanka,” a Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) source was quoted as saying by ANI.
This development follows Pakistan’s reported proposal to have all of India’s matches played in one city, specifically Lahore, to reduce travel. However, the Indian board remains uninterested in the idea of playing in Pakistan.
The ICC Champions Trophy is scheduled to take place in Pakistan from February to March 2025. India has not participated in any cricket tournaments in Pakistan since the 2008 Asia Cup due to the strained relationship between the two countries.
If the Champions Trophy goes to Sri Lanka or the UAE, it will be the second multi-nation tournament in the last two years to move out of Pakistan due to India’s unwillingness to travel there.
The Asia Cup 2023 was played in a hybrid model where all of India’s matches were played in Sri Lanka while the others played in Sri Lanka.