Pakistan, who won the last edition of the Champions Trophy in England in 2017, will host the Feb 19-March 9 tournament
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) leadership is optimistic that a solution will be found if India decides not to travel to Pakistan for the 2025 Champions Trophy, emphasizing that India’s participation is essential to safeguard the tournament’s broadcast rights.
Pakistan, who won the previous Champions Trophy in England in 2017, is set to host the tournament from February 19 to March 9. However, due to strained political relations, India has not visited Pakistan since 2008, and the two teams only meet during multi-nation events.
Pakistan hosted the Asia Cup last year, but India, the eventual winners, played all their matches in Sri Lanka under a “hybrid model.” At the time, India cited a lack of government approval as the reason for not traveling to Pakistan.
Rajeev Shukla, vice president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), stated last month that the final decision on India’s participation in Pakistan would rest with the Indian government.
ECB Chief Executive Richard Gould expressed Pakistan’s hopes for India’s participation during a press conference on Wednesday.
Gould and ECB Chair Richard Thompson, currently in Pakistan for England’s three-test series, have been in discussions with officials from the Pakistan Cricket Board during the second test in Multan.
“There are many alternatives and contingencies available if India doesn’t travel,” Gould said. “I doubt the tournament would proceed without India, as the broadcast rights would be compromised, and we need to protect those. Ideally, we aim for the most complete competition possible in Pakistan.”
Thompson added that he believes all parties will reach an agreement, noting the recent meeting between the two teams at the Twenty20 World Cup in the United States.
“There’s geopolitics, and then there’s cricket geopolitics. They will have to find a solution,” he said. “Security concerns are always a factor when India and Pakistan play each other, and that will likely influence key decisions.
“However, relations between the two countries are as amicable as possible right now, as we saw during the men’s T20 World Cup in New York.”