Guwahati: After months of drama surrounding the International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 between the ICC, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the tournament finally got a nod as the three parties came to a consensus regarding the conduct of the event.
Speculation had been rife since last year regarding India’s participation in the tournament – given that Pakistan are the hosts – and if the tournament would even go ahead at all.
Geopolitical tensions between the two countries have been on a high, particularly with the Bharatiya Janata Party leading the Union government since 2014. The Indian cricket team have not traveled to Pakistan or hosted them in a bilateral series since Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed power.
The BCCI, the richest cricket board in the world, holds a sizeable influence and leverage over cricketing matters globally. It has acted like “a spoilt child” on many issues over the years.
Naturally, in this case, the BCCI was very adamant in its stance when it informed the ICC that India would not be traveling to Pakistan for the tournament, under the advice of the Union government, citing political and security reasons. In response, the PCB asked for compensation from the ICC should India refuse to travel to Pakistan.
Amidst all the commotion, the United Arab Emirates was considered a potential replacement as host. A hybrid model was also mooted, which was rejected by Pakistan after counter demands of the same for ICC events hosted by India in the future were rejected by the BCCI.
After multiple rounds of deliberations, the sport’s top governing body finally laid down the marker with its statement on Thursday, December 19. It announced that the tournament would “be played across Pakistan and a neutral venue.” Not only that, “India and Pakistan matches hosted by either country at ICC Events during the 2024-2027 rights cycle will be played at a neutral venue,” the ICC Board confirmed.
The statement reiterated, “This will apply to… 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).” That would mean a loss of substantial revenue for the BCCI. It is interesting to note that union home minister Amit Shah’s son, Jay Shah, began his tenure as ICC chair just this month. It is, therefore, somewhat surprising that he agreed to such a loss-making compromise for the BCCI so early in his tenure.
It was also announced that Pakistan would be hosting the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in 2028, where neutral venue arrangements will also apply.
The PCB, for their part, may consider this a victory as they prepare to host their first major tournament in nearly three decades in February-March next year. Pakistan lost hosting rights for several years after an attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team left seven cricketers and an assistant coach from the island nation injured.
The eight-team tournament will be contested by Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, New Zealand and South Africa besides India and Pakistan, who are also the defending champions. The schedule and the venues, including the neutral one, is set to be confirmed soon.
