India Not To Travel To Pakistan For Champions Trophy Want heir Matches In Dubai

Mumbai: In a move underscoring ongoing security concerns, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has confirmed that the Indian cricket team will not travel to Pakistan for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy. Instead, BCCI has formally requested that India’s matches be shifted to Dubai, citing apprehensions over security in Pakistan’s host cities—Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi.

“This has been our consistent position, and there is no reason to change it. We have written to them and asked them to shift our games to Dubai,” a BCCI source told The Indian Express. The upcoming 50-over ICC event, scheduled from February 19 to March 9, will feature the world’s top eight teams.

BCCI’s decision was reportedly made after “consultation with the government” and follows a similar scenario during the Asia Cup, where India successfully negotiated to play their matches in Sri Lanka despite Pakistan being the tournament’s official host.

Hope for a thaw in cricket relations between India and Pakistan surfaced following a recent diplomatic meeting between Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar. Held on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting in Islamabad last month, this was the first high-level dialogue between the two countries since 2015. The positive exchange initially led to optimism about reviving cross-border cricket ties, with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) even offering to accommodate the Indian team’s preferences, including the option of returning to India after each game.

However, a recent surge in terror incidents in Jammu and Kashmir, which resulted in the tragic loss of 16 lives, including two soldiers, has once again heightened security concerns for Indian authorities. This development ultimately reinforced the BCCI’s decision to keep India’s cricketing engagements with Pakistan at neutral venues.

The Champions Trophy, a premier tournament on the ICC calendar, is now poised to face logistical challenges if India’s request for relocation to Dubai is not met. The PCB and ICC are yet to officially respond to this significant development, but it raises questions about the tournament’s scheduling and the potential impact on bilateral ties between the neighboring nations.

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