Will India travel Pakistan for ICC Champions Trophy 2025? BCCI Vice-president reveals

Pakistan will host the ICC Champions Trophy in February-March next year.

The burning question of whether India will travel to Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 still rages on. India have not traveled to Pakistan since Asia Cup 2008, while Pakistan last visited India in 2023. The last time both the teams played a bilateral series was back in 2013.

This has been the case due to political tensions between the two sides ever since the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks which were orchestrated by a Pakistan-based terrorist organization.

Not only bilateral cricket but Pakistan players have been banned from the Indian Premier League as well, affecting their earning potential and exposure against top-level cricketers who play in the league.

However, India and Pakistan have played one another in ICC events and ACC events, most recently in the World Cup 2023 when Pakistan visited India for the first time since 2016. However, India have steadily refused to return the favor and didn’t travel to Pakistan for the Asia Cup 2023, which was then held in hybrid mode with Sri Lanka.

BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla reveals if India will travel to Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025   

ICC had given the hosting rights of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 to Pakistan. This is the first time since 2017 that the tournament will be played and the first time since the 1996 World Cup, that Pakistan will host any ICC event.

Pakistan Cricket Board has already shared the schedule with the ICC with matches slated to be played in Lahore, Karachi, and Rawalpindi. It was reported that to minimize the travel of the Indian team in Pakistan, all of their matches will be played in Lahore itself.

However, the question remains whether India will travel to Pakistan as they have not indicated anything. But the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) vice president Rajeev Shukla gave an inkling to chances of India going to Pakistan for cricket for the first time since 2008.

“In the case of the Champion Trophy, we will do whatever the Government of India will tell us to do. We send our team only when the Government of India gives us permission. So we will go according to the decision of the Indian government,” Shukla said to ANI.

#WATCH | Delhi: On the Champion Trophy to be held in Pakistan next year, BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla said, "In the case of the Champion Trophy, we will do whatever the Government of India will tell us to do. We send our team only when the Government of India gives us… pic.twitter.com/TeA3dZ5Twn

— ANI (@ANI) May 6, 2024

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