India will contest in next year’s ICC Champions Trophy on neutral territory to avoid traveling to Pakistan which is the host, after security concerns and political tension. The decision by the International Cricket Council came through on Thursday and resolves a long time of consideration among the two countries.
India and Pakistan will cross swords on February 23, 2025, according to an IANS report, with Colombo and Dubai being shortlisted as the potential venues for India’s matches. “India will play Pakistan at a neutral venue on February 23, 2025. ICC looking at Colombo and Dubai to host their matches,” sources told IANS.
The Champions Trophy is scheduled for February and March 2025, and the final schedule will be announced soon. The ICC’s decision comes after a long standoff came to an end when India refused to send its team to Pakistan. Initially resistent to a hybrid model, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) recently agreed to neutral venues for both teams in ICC tournaments.
An ICC statement confirmed, “India and Pakistan matches hosted by either country at ICC events during the 2024-2027 rights cycle will be played at a neutral venue,” applying to the Champions Trophy and subsequent tournaments, including the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.
Pakistan, the defending champions of the Champions Trophy, last beat India by 180 runs in the 2017 final. The two sides last played each other at this year’s T20 World Cup, where India prevailed by six runs and eventually won the tournament.
It can only be witnessed on international matches like the World Cups and Asia Cup due to bad relations between the two. Their last bilateral series had been played during 2012-13 when Pakistan had visited India for the limited-overs series.
