DUBAI – The International Cricket Council (ICC) is set to hold an important meeting on Saturday (today) to address the controversy surrounding the hosting of the Champions Trophy 2025, where a decision on the tournament’s future is expected.
The Champions Trophy 2025 will be hosted by Pakistan under a hybrid model.
The BCCI already showed an agreement with this arrangement but an official announcement is expected after Saturday’s (today) meeting.
Under the hybrid model, India will play its matches at a neutral venue likely Dubai.
As part of the arrangement, India will not tour Pakistan until 2027, nor will Pakistan play any matches in India during this period.
It has been agreed informally that this formula would apply to all ICC tournaments including the Champions Trophy, Women’s World Cup and the 2026 T20 World Cup.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said that the agreements reached between the Pakistan and Indian cricket boards regarding the Champions Trophy 2025 be documented in the host agreement. However, the further details on this matter have yet to emerge.
Meanwhile, a letter from broadcasters regarding delays in the Champions Trophy 2025 schedule was leaked after Jay Shah assumed the ICC Chairmanship yesterday.
In the letter from Star India, it was emphasized that the Indian cricket team’s fan base and popularity significantly drive revenue.
The letter explained that the media rights value for the Champions Trophy stands at $750 million, and if India withdraws from the event, the ICC could lose up to 90% of this revenue.
On the other hand, Pakistan’s absence would result in only a 10% loss.
Pakistan had firmly told the ICC that it would not host the event under a hybrid model.
If India is unwilling to participate in Pakistan, Sri Lanka could be included as a replacement.
However, the ICC had refrained from taking a clear stance on this suggestion.
