India will play their matches in next year’s ICC Champions Trophy in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), as Pakistan, the tournament host, has designated the Gulf nation as a neutral venue for its rival, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced.
According to the reports of Leaders team, the decision stems from strained political relations between the two neighbors. India has not visited Pakistan since 2008, with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) citing government advice as the reason for refusing to send its team to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy.
“The Pakistan Cricket Board has chosen the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as the neutral venue,” PCB spokesperson Amir Mir confirmed in an email on Sunday.
The eight-team Champions Trophy is scheduled for February and March 2025. The International Cricket Council (ICC) had previously stated that matches involving India and Pakistan in tournaments hosted by either nation would be played at neutral venues.
This arrangement extends beyond the Champions Trophy and includes other ICC events: the women’s ODI World Cup in India next year, the men’s T20 World Cup in 2026 (co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka), and the women’s T20 World Cup in Pakistan in 2028.
Notably, the Champions Trophy will mark Pakistan’s first time hosting an ICC event since it co-hosted the 1996 World Cup alongside India and Sri Lanka. As cricketing ties between the two nations remain limited to multi-team tournaments, this development underscores the challenges of organizing fixtures between the arch-rivals amid ongoing political tensions.
