Champions Trophy 2025: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has, reportedly, marked a 20-day window for the next big ICC event – the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. The tournament is expected to kickstart on February 19, 2025, and the summit clash is set to be held on March 09.
The 20-day window will accommodate the eight-team event in Pakistan as per various details shared with the member countries by the ICC. Though the exact details of the fixtures for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 have not been revealed, it can be ascertained that the tournament will be held in the aforementioned 20-day period.
The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is returning after a hiatus of six years. The last time it was held in 2017, which saw India and Pakistan clash in the final at the Oval, with the fixture going in the favour of Pakistan.
As per the report published on cricbuzz, a tentative schedule for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 has been shared with the member boards so that they can manipulate their bilateral fixtures and league tournament schedule accordingly.
The ILT20 is scheduled between January 11 and February 09 in 2025, which is pretty much close to the scheduling of the SA20, which will run between January 09 and February 08.
Team India’s travel to Pakistan for Champions Trophy 2025 Uncertain
Meanwhile, the uncertainty around Team India’s participation continues with the Government of India exercising its unwavering stance against Pakistan. Government officials have often asserted that the Indian team wouldn’t travel to Pakistan for any cricket engagement till the neighbours don’t cease to nurture cross-border terrorism. The official confirmation of Team India’s travel to Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is still awaited.
Should India not travel to Pakistan, the tournament may shift into a hybrid model with some of its matches to be held in the UAE. The Asia Cup 2023 was held in a similar format after Team India declined to travel to Pakistan and the event was then held in the hybrid venue. Some matches were held in Pakistan, while the rest were staged in Sri Lanka.
Sources in the know believe it’s too early to comment on whether Team India would travel to Pakistan or not. A clearer picture will be out in the coming months as more development takes place.
Meanwhile, if India travels to Pakistan, Lahore would likely host all the matches featuring Team India. The venue has been earmarked due to it’s proximity to the border to felicitate a smooth travel of the fans from India as well.