As per sources, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) recently got in touch with the International Cricket Council (ICC) to express their desire to host the India-Pakistan clash in Dubai, UAE. The venue was decided following a meeting between Sheikh Mubarak Al Nahyan, the chairman of the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB), and Mohsin Naqvi, the chairman of the PCB.  The meeting took place during Al Nahyan's tour to Pakistan in Sanghar in the Sindh province of Pakistan.

See also: ICC Champions Trophy schedule under consideration, India set to clash with Pakistan on Feb 23

Dubai nears the final stages of confirmation as the neutral venue

With PCB and ECB successfully coming to an agreement on selecting a neutral venue, Dubai has almost been bookmarked to host the iconic India-Pakistan clash. Additionally, two other venues such as Abu Dhabi and Sharjah are also in consideration but due to the ground's enormous seating capacity, Dubai will take precedence. 

A statement from a PCB official read the following: 

"The PCB has chosen the UAE as the neutral venue and the PCB has formally informed the ICC about the decision. Now, India and Pakistan's Champions Trophy matches will be held in the UAE. The final decision was made after a meeting between Mohsin Naqvi and Sheikh Al Nahyan." 

As per ICC, the selection of a neutral venue for any global event rests solely on the discretion of the host board. PCB also explored other options like Sri Lanka but eventually decided to narrow down to UAE.

Looking beyond Champions Trophy

As per the agreement reached by BCCI and PCB earlier, both boards have decided to play each other in what's now called a "fusion model". On December 19, the ICC confirmed that both India and Pakistan will face each other in future ICC events in neutral venues for the next three years.

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). The clarity around venues for the forthcoming Indo-Pak clashes puts an end to a lingering dispute between India and Pakistan which has long existed due to ongoing political tensions.

The much-anticipated Champions Trophy 2025 is scheduled to begin on February 19 and will end on March 9 with March 10 reserved as a backup day. The marquee event was supposed to be held entirely in Pakistan but India's denial to send its national team to the neighboring nation resulted in a significant delay in the official announcement of the schedule on ICC's part.  

But in recent times, ICC achieved a major breakthrough by getting both the BCCI and the PCB on the same page. As per agreement, a fusion model has been adopted wherein India will play all their matches against Pakistan in a neutral venue and similarly, Pakistan will also refrain from traveling to India and play all their matches in a neutral venue as well.   

With the deadlock now coming to a close, the ICC is reportedly working on orchestrating the schedule of the Champions Trophy 2025 tournament and an official announcement about the same could soon be imminent. 

See also: ICC Champions Trophy 2025 hosting status set to be finalised

ICC's tentative schedule for the Champions Trophy

As per RevSports, India and Pakistan are believed to be in the same group. India, along with Pakistan, New Zealand, and Bangladesh are placed in Group A. The Men in Blue is expected to kick off their campaign on February 20 by facing Bangladesh. Their next encounter is slated to be against Pakistan on February 23. However, the venue for the high-octane clash has not been decided yet. But as per sources, Dubai and Colombo could play host to this sizzling fixture. 

India is expected to play its last league against New Zealand on March 2. Australia, England, South Africa, and Afghanistan are the other teams placed in Group B.

Group Composition for the 2025 Champions Trophy
 
Group A

- India
- Pakistan
- New Zealand
- Bangladesh
 
Group B

- Australia
- England
- South Africa
- Afghanistan

Tentative fixtures in the Champions Trophy 2025 (Times are in IST)

February 19, 2:30 pm Karachi Pakistan vs New Zealand

February 20, 2:30 pm Neutral Bangladesh vs India

February 21, 2:30 pm Karachi Afghanistan vs South Africa

February 22, 2:30 pm Lahore Australia vs England

February 23, 2:30 pm Neutral Pakistan vs India

February 24, 2:30 pm Rawalpindi Bangladesh vs New Zealand

February 25, 2:30 pm Rawalpindi Australia vs South Africa

February 26, 2:30 pm Lahore Afghanistan vs England

February 27, 2:30 pm Rawalpindi Pakistan vs Bangladesh

February 28, 2:30 pm Lahore Afghanistan vs Australia

March 1, 2:30 pm Karachi South Africa vs England

March 2, 2:30 pm Neutral New Zealand vs India

March 4, 2:30 pm Neutral Semi-Final A1 vs B2

March 5, 2:30 pm Neutral Semi-Final B1 vs A2

March 9, 2:30 pm Neutral Final

March 10 - Neutral Reserve Day

Although a cloud of uncertainty looms over the fate of a neutral venue, the renovation work of the Pakistan stadiums is currently underway in full swing and is expected to be complete in the coming weeks.  

The uncertainty surrounding the fate of Champions Trophy 2025 continues to loom large. With less than two months to go, the fate of the marquee event remains vastly unknown. The entire tournament was originally planned to be held in Pakistan but India's refusal to send its national side to the neighboring country has created numerous complications for the apex body. Both BCCI and the PCB are reportedly at loggerheads and unwilling to make any concessions on their part.

The major source of contention currently revolves around finalizing the venues. But in recent times, ICC has managed to make some notable progress in resolving this ongoing dispute between the two major cricketing bodies. In a bid to break the deadlock once and for all, ICC has confirmed on Thursday that the matches between India and Pakistan will be scheduled in a neutral venue till 2027 which also included the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025.

See also: Watch: Virat Kohli lashes out at the reporters for breaching his privacy

Major announcement on IND-PAK matches

In a recent statement published by the executive Board of the International Cricket Council (ICC), the governing body confirmed the acceptance of a "two-way" hybrid model for India-Pakistan matches. In other words, the proposal implies that India will not travel to Pakistan and rather play it's matches in a neutral venue whereas Paksitan will also have the same arrangement in place and play all it's matches against India in a neutral venue. 

"India and Pakistan matches hosted by either country as part of the ICC Events during the 2024-2027 rights cycle will be played at a neutral venue, the ICC Board confirmed on Thursday." 

The agreement will remain in place till 2027 and will automatically apply to the upcoming ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 (hosted by Pakistan), set to be played in February and March 2025, as well as the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 (hosted by India) and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 (hosted by India and Sri Lanka).

In addition, Pakistan will also be awarded the hosting rights of the Women's T20 World Cup 2028 and arrangements to pursue neautral venues will be explored accordingly. Experts speculate that Dubai can be seen as an ideal venue to host India's matches in the upcoming Champions Trophy edition.

ICC to communicate Champions Trophy schedule shortly

After successfully forging a deal between two ideologically opposed cricketing bodies, ICC is now working around the clock to finalize the schedule of the Champions Trophy 2025. They are in a race against time and are under immense pressure from the broadcasters who are demanding for an official schedule to be finalized at the earliest convinience. The eight-team event will feature Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, and South Africa, alongside hosts and defending champions Pakistan.

ICC Champions Trophy 2025 has gone through many uncertain situations due to the clash between the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). However, the light has been probably seen in the dark tunnel, as we are finally getting the good news very soon.

Pakistan has the hosting rights for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. While it will be their first ICC tournament after the ICC Cricket World Cup 1996, the PCB was desperate to host the tournament completely in Pakistan. 

While the final schedule of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 was waiting due to the BCCI’s final decision to travel to Pakistan, the Indian cricket board has continued its government’s stance by deciding not to travel to Pakistan for the upcoming ICC tournament. It was a desperate battle between the PCB and BCCI. The BCCI has never given up its stance to play the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 outside Pakistan, which means that the PCB has to go through the hybrid model to host the ICC tournament. 

See Also: Women's Premier League 2025: Everything you need to know about the mini-auction

ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Official news can come on Saturday 

The latest media reports finally bring the much-awaited good news about the ICC Champions Trophy. According to the latest Cricbuzz report, the ICC can officially announce the hosting details of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 on Saturday (December 14). 

The Cricbuzz report claimed that an ICC Board meeting will be conducted on Saturday, where the new ICC chairman Jay Shah will virtually present from Brisbane. 

The hybrid model can take out five matches from Pakistan

According to the report, five out of 15 games of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 will be played outside Pakistan, most likely in the United Arab Emirates, including the much-awaited Pakistan vs India match. So, one Semi-Final and the Final of the tournament can be played in the UAE. However, Pakistan will retain the complete hosting rights for the upcoming ICC tournament.

There is no clarification report on whether the PCB asked the BCCI to host India's next tournaments in a similar hybrid model or not. India will solely host the ICC Women's World Cup 2025, while India and Sri Lanka will jointly host the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026. Also, India has the hosting rights of the next ACC T20 Asia Cup in 2025.   

As per widespread reports, it is believed that the PCB, headed by Mohsin Naqvi has given in to ICC & BCCI's demands to host the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025 in a hybrid model. As per sources from PTI, it has been "agreed in principle" by the Jay Shah-led International Cricket Council (ICC) and its member associates to host the Champions Trophy with a hybrid model.

The marquee event will comprise eight teams and will be played in the month of February and March in 2025. While the majority of the matches would be played in Pakistan, India will have their matches scheduled in a natural venue which in all likelihood would be Dubai. As per a top ICC source, the decision has more or less been finalized during an informal meeting between the body's new President Jay Shah and the Board of Directors, including Pakistan.

See also: Champions Trophy Venue debacle to be settled over this weekend

Hybrid model but with a twist

Whilst accepting the proposal to go ahead with a hybrid model, PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi stressed having a reciprocal arrangement for its national side till 2031 and urged the BCCI to comply with their request. Although BCCI is yet to respond to this request, ICC has come forward and formally accepted PCB's plea to have a similar arrangement till 2027. 

"It's been agreed in principle by all parties that the 2025 Champions Trophy will be held in the UAE and Pakistan with India playing its matches in Dubai. It's a win-win situation for all stakeholders."

However, such a development can spell bad news for BCCI and its supporters. Between 2025 and 2027, India will play host to two World Cup editions. The Women's ODI World Cup will be held in 2026 whereas the Men's T20 World Cup will be held a year later in 2027. 

Should Pakistan abstain from visiting India as per the newly proposed hybrid model agreement, Indian fans could be devoid of high-octane Indo-Pak rivalry on their home turf. More importantly, both the BCCI and the ICC will have to cope with some significant financial blows if that were to happen. 

What does the future look like for the Indian team?

Being the host of an ICC event, India will have to go the extra mile by visiting a neutral venue to play its fixtures with Pakistan. Such a move may not only be unsustainable but also be unprecedented from BCCI's standpoint. 

Such an agreement will effectively mean that the Indian women's team will have to travel to a neutral venue to play their league match against Pakistan whereas Pakistan's men's team will be considering the possibility of playing all its matches of the upcoming T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka.

Bilateral ties between the two countries have been at an all-time low since the 2008 terror attacks. India's last visit to Pakistan came in the 2008 Asia Cup edition with Sri Lanka being the eventual winners of it. 

The uncertainty regarding the fate of the Champions Trophy 2025 continues to linger on as ICC is yet to finalize the venue which both BCCI and PCB can mutually agree upon. Whilst the BCCI continues to persuade the ICC to adopt a hybrid model, the PCB on the other hand remains hell-bent on organizing the entire tournament in Pakistan, be it with or without India.

This deadlock has put ICC in a difficult situation. With less than 100 days to go for the marquee event, ICC called upon an urgent meeting on Friday, 29th of November with the BCCI and PCB to come to an urgent solution. That meeting lasted for about 15 minutes on a phone call and has been further deferred to the weekend in a bid to allow the boards more time to reach a mutually agreed solution.

See also: The future of Champions Trophy 2025 set to be determined at the ICC's board meeting this Friday

What's in the works to make the CT 2025 dream work?

It is now understood that along with BCCI and PCB leadership, a couple of other member boards will now sit down with the ICC think tank to work out a solution that can be acceptable to all parties. 

The two boards who are now at loggerheads with each other have been actively discussing this matter and the discussions will likely continue over this weekend. PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi has publicly made it clear that he is open to helping BCCI sort out problems with regard to their travel to Pakistan.

The ongoing Champions Trophy tussle has now evolved into a political issue between the two countries and in all likelihood, any proposal that is taken mutually by the boards will have to be government-approved before being submitted to the ICC.  

PCB has officially stuck to its age-old narrative of not hosting the eight-team tournament in the hybrid format. However, in recent times, there has been a slight alteration in that narrative but with certain conditions. Should a hybrid model be adopted due to India's unwillingness to travel to India, Pakistan may also reciprocate in a tit-for-tat manner and may demand the ICC to shift their fixtures with India to a neutral venue for future tournaments. 

On Thursday morning, Naqvi didn't rule out the possibility of having a hybrid model but stressed that he will need the clearance and the backing of his own government to make any subsequent decisions. 

The Indian government's stance on this matter

A spokesperson from the MEA in India publically stated while addressing the press that India will not tour Pakistan citing 'security concerns'. He makes his stance clear that the government is unwilling to send the Rohit Sharma-led team to the neighboring country due to the ongoing security crisis. 

"They have said there are security concerns there and therefore it is unlikely the team will be going there. Please do refer to the statement issued by the BCCI."

The BCCI has not issued a public statement on the matter of their travel to Pakistan, nor has security been a prime source of concern as highlighted by MEA. In fact, the BCCI has treated the decision to travel to Pakistan as one to be made by the Indian government rather than the board.

With less than 100 days to go, the fate of the 2025 Champions Trophy edition hangs in uncertainty as the Indian government reportedly denied clearance to the Men in Blue to tour the neighboring nation. Both nations have been locked in a decades-long political stan-doff which in recent times has also jeopardised their cricketing ties. 

While PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi remains adamant about hosting the entire tournament in Pakistan, India's persistent request to opt for a 'hybrid' model has put the ICC in a very difficult situation. On Friday, the ICC aims to resolve the deadlock between the two cricketing boards once and for all. The meeting will take place on November 29 with an aim to bring about a proposal that both India and Pakistan can jointly agree upon.

India's constant push for a hybrid model

Time and again, the BCCI has repeatedly quashed any possibility of sending the Rohit Sharma-led India team to Pakistan for the upcoming Champions Trophy edition. 

The government of India has refused to provide any clearance to the Indian team citing security reasons. A similar approach was taken last year in the 50-over Asia Cup which despite the PCB's stubbornness, was played in a hybrid model. 

As was the case, the Indian government was reluctant to send its national team to Pakistan on the grounds of security concerns and as a result, the hybrid model was adopted in which all the Indian fixtures along with the knockout games were played in Sri Lanka. 

See also: Pakistan's Champions Trophy dream gets a massive hit

Moving the tournament outside Pakistan

PCB's firm stance against adopting a hybrid model can prove determinantal for Pakistan cricket. Not only will the board lose millions in revenue from the ICC, but the governing body may be forced to snatch the hosting rights from Pakistan and shift the tournament elsewhere to UAE or Sri Lanka. 

Moreover, against the backdrop of recent political unrest in Islamabad, the possibility of the tournament moving outside Pakistan looms large. The security is beefed up around the capital city as Imran Khan's supporters gather in lare groups to storm it. ICC will closely monitor the volatile situation from a distance and come to an immediate conclusion should the political tension escalate to a whole new level.

The last time the Indian team triumphed in this tournament was way back in 2013 under the leadership of MS Dhoni and finished as the runners-up in 2017.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) is busy making the final decision on the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 hosting. While Pakistan is still hoping for its best, the country’s dream gets a massive hit on Tuesday (November 26). 

Sri Lanka A was touring Pakistan for the first-class cricket and List A cricket series. In between the List A cricket series, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has decided to postpone the series, and the A team will return to the country immediately after the consultation with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

SEE ALSO: Abrar and Saim secure Pakistan's dominant series-level win against Zimbabwe

The reason for the postponement

Talking about the postponement of the series, the PCB reasoned the political activity in the capital city Islamabad. The city is experiencing mass protests by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) supporters. Former Pakistan ODI World Cup-winning captain and former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan is the leader of this party.

The PCB officially stated, "The Pakistan Cricket Board, in consultation with Sri Lanka Cricket, has postponed the last two 50-over matches of the Pakistan Shaheens-Sri Lanka A series due to a political activity in the federal capital. The last two matches were scheduled for Wednesday and Friday at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. Both boards will collaborate to finalise new dates to complete the series."   

Due to the concern about the impact of the protest, the PCB already shifted the three-match List A series opener from Rawalpindi Cricket Ground to Islamabad Club, which was played as scheduled on November 25. The immediate venue change was crucial for the PCB, as the series-opener match was played after Imran Khan issued the "final call" for his supporters to march to Islamabad to demand many things, including his release from prison. While Rawalpindi is known as the twin city of Islamabad, the impact of the protest can be expected in the city. 

The present situation

Like Islamabad, Rawalpindi is also experiencing holidays in all public and private educational institutions. Train services have also been suspended between Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Peshawar. On the other hand, the Islamabad protest has experienced massive violence, deaths, and an internet shutdown.  

While Islamabad Club hosted the List A series opener, Pakistan Shaheens won that fixture by 108 runs. However, according to the latest schedule, Rawalpindi Cricket Ground would host the last two List A fixtures on November 27 and 29.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Shaheens have already won the two-match first-class cricket series against Sri Lanka A by 1-0. Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium hosted both of those four-day matches, where Pakistan Shaheens won the first game by seven wickets, and the second match had a draw result. 

ICC Champions Trophy 2025

In the meantime, the ICC will reportedly hold a virtual board meeting on November 29 to discuss the hosting of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. While the PCB strongly wants to host the entire tournament in the country, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has denied sending the Indian team to Pakistan. 

While the ICC and BCCI are reportedly pushing the PCB to go for the hybrid model to host the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, the PCB is reluctant on it. However, the recent blow, the postponement of Sri Lanka A tour of Pakistan can put the PCB on the back foot. 

The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 has been scheduled to be played between February and March 2025, but the PCB is facing a race against time moment after the latest chaos in the nation.

Amid all the hustle and bustle, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has been forced to change their decision by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). An objection over their ‘tour’ of the Champions Trophy 2025 in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK) by the BCCI, the International Cricket Council (ICC) made sure that the PCB changed their plan and limited the tour to just the three host cities of Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi as well.

After totally denying visiting Pakistan for the Champions Trophy 2025 and forcing the PCB into uncertainty, they are contemplating withdrawing from the tournament if not granted full hosting rights as well.

BCCI objects to PCB's Trophy Tour

Meanwhile, a PCB source has also confirmed to the Indian Express that changes have been made. It’s also been shared that ICC allowed the trophy tour much like they did the schedule, budget, and venues for the Champions Trophy 2025 but they did not account for BCCI’s acceptance as well.

SEE ALSO: 'Gautam Gambhir is already frightened' - Ricky Ponting takes a fresh jibe ahead of BGT

“PCB is already in discussions with the ICC on how to proceed with the trophy tour to ensure the Champions Trophy is continued to be promoted in Pakistan. The ICC Champions Trophy tour was planned in consultation and with the approval of the ICC. The PCB had not unilaterally finalised the trophy tour schedule,” the source said.

PCB’s Champions Trophy Tour plan

However, the trophy tour was supposed to begin on November 16 in Islamabad before moving to other cities like Murree and Hunza as well. The tour would then shift to Skardu and Muzaffarabad, the regions that both India and Pakistan claim as theirs as well. However, the planned tour in PoK did not go down well with the BCCI Secretary, Jay Shah, who raised objections with the ICC as well.

"The BCCI secretary, after it came to his notice, called up the ICC and was extremely critical of PCB's move to conduct a Trophy tour of multiple cities which fall under Pakistan Occupied Kashmir," a senior BCCI official privy to the development said to PTI on conditions of anonymity. "He has urged the ICC to take strong action. As far as Islamabad is concerned, there is no issue but there can't be any Trophy tour to POK."