Champions Trophy 2025; ICC delegates set to visit Pakistan

India’s participation in the tournament is uncertain

ICC delegates to visit Pakistan /

By Caroline Chepkorir

The ICC delegates are scheduled to visit Pakistan this month to review the champion trophy preparation. They will also discuss the tournament’s unclear schedule with the Pakistan Cricket Board.

The Pakistan Cricket Board has yet to be informed of the number of ICC officials set to travel and the various departments they represent; however, the board has received an indication that the schedule will be discussed.

The Pakistan Cricket Board had allotted Rs 12.80 billion to renovate the three venues: the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, the National Stadium in Karachi, and Rawalpindi International Cricket Stadium. The match between Pakistan and Bangladesh test series was recently set to be at Karachi but was forced to be moved to Rawalpindi since the stadium was not ready.

The delegation will inspect the progress at the tournament venues. They will also hold meetings with security officials and oversee the travel plan, team schedules, as well as broadcasting.

Both the tournament schedule and the India ODI schedule are probably going to be revealed later. Jay Shah, the secretary of the BCCI, is expected to take over as chair of the ICC on 1 December and will play a significant role in making decisions.

 “The schedule has now been seen by the participating boards in the Champions Trophy, and there is still some work to be done before it is finalized and announced. A final decision on whether the Indian team would be permitted by its government to play in Pakistan is one major reason for the schedule still being under consideration," said a source in media reports.

The board had already provided the ICC with a draft schedule for the Champions Trophy 2025, and they recommended that Lahore serve as the home base for the Indian cricket team.

Last year, India declined to travel to Pakistan for the Asia Cup, and their matches were held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, while the rest of the tournament was competed in Pakistan. India's participation in the Champion Trophy is still unknown, as the board of control for cricket in India has yet to follow the central government’s guidelines to determine the involvement in the event.