According to a report on Cricbuzz, International Cricket Council (ICC) has reportedly marked Feb 19 to March 9, 2025 as a return of Champions Trophy in a 20-day window.
Pakistan is officially the host of the tournament. Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi are the venues selected by PCB for the 15 match competition among eight teams.
Lahore in particular is designated as center for the India games. As per the plan, seven matches are scheduled in Lahore, five in Rawalpindi and three in Karachi. India will clash with Pakistan in Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium on March 1.
India has been reluctant in letting his team travel to Pakistan. If India doesn’t travel to Pakistan then hybrid model will be opted. This could mirror the situation of last Asia Cup, when India played all their matches in Sri Lanka.
India boasts about its dominant position over Pakistan in the ICC World Cups. India has won 14 out of 15 matches while Pakistan has won only once. Coming to ICC trophies, India has won a total of 6 ICC trophies. They have won 2 Cricket World Cup , 2 T20 World Cup trophies, and 2 Champions trophies. Pakistan on the other hand has won half the number of ICC trophies than India. The three ICC trophies of Pakistan include- 01 Cricket World Cup, 01 T20 World Cup and 01 Champions trophy.
In the Champions trophy, India and Pakistan have clashed for five times. Pakistan has won three of those matches against the neighboring rival, India. Pakistan has also won the 2017 ICC Champions trophy final against India.
While India has won only two matches out of the five matches they have had against Pakistan in the ICC Champions trophy.
It depends on the approval of Government of India to play in Pakistan. However, currently neither PCB nor the ICC has given any clues of hybrid model. Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Government of India may have the last say on the matter as all eyes are fixed on them.
India and Pakistan are busy with the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024. In a critical showdown, on June 9, India defeated Pakistan in New York. The next major confrontation between the rivals is expected to be after eight months in the Champions Trophy at neighboring grounds, unless two teams end up playing in the knockouts of the ongoing Twenty20 World Cup.
Tabinda Mir is a writer from Kashmir. She is an English Honours graduate and her interests primarily dwell in poetry and sports writing. She likes to cover Cricket as an avid fan. Apart from sports, her other publications include articles, poems and a letter to summer in the book titled, “Under The Summer Skies”.
Also, her leisure time activities include reading novels, poetry, non literary works, philosophies and writing poetry, short stories, articles on diverse themes.
