PCB Chief Confident India Will Participate In 2025 Champions Trophy In Pakistan

Hero Image
The Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Mohsin Naqvi , has expressed optimism that the Indian men's cricket team will participate in the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy , set to take place in Pakistan in 2025. This edition of the prestigious eight-team tournament will commence on February 19, 2025, and conclude with the final on March 9. The matches will be held across three cities: Lahore, Karachi, and Rawalpindi.

India last toured Pakistan in July 2008, with the political tensions between the two countries putting a halt to further visits. However, Naqvi is hopeful that this will change next year. He is confident that India will send their team to Pakistan for the ICC event, which will mark a significant moment in their cricketing relationship.

In a recent media interaction in Lahore, Naqvi, who took over as PCB chairman earlier this year, commented, “Indian team mujhe puri umeed hai… Abhi tak koi aisi cheej nahi hai jiski wajeh se vo postpone karey ya cancel karey. Toh sari teams aayengi (Team India will come to play the Champions Trophy in Pakistan next year. All teams will come).”


Pakistan has not had the opportunity to host a major ICC tournament since the 1996 ODI World Cup. The nation was also initially scheduled to co-host the 2011 ICC Men’s ODI World Cup. However, following a terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in 2009, the hosting rights were revoked, and the matches were relocated to India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh.

Although India has avoided touring Pakistan since 2008, Pakistan has visited India multiple times in the past 16 years. Pakistan’s first tour came in December 2012, where they played a T20I series and a set of three ODIs. In 2016, they returned to India to compete in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Their most recent visit occurred during the 2023 ODI World Cup, held entirely in India.

During the 2023 World Cup, Pakistan played matches in Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengaluru, and Kolkata, while their highly anticipated match against India took place at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on October 14.