The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will reportedly host India’s matches in the 2025 Champions Trophy, resolving a long-standing dispute between the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
The decision was reached during a meeting between PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi and UAE Cricket Board head Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan in Ghotki on Saturday.
This follows the ICC’s announcement of a “hybrid model” for the tournament, necessitating a neutral venue for India’s games due to the BCCI’s refusal to send its team to Pakistan due to security concerns and political tensions.
While the PCB initially resisted the hybrid model, a compromise was reached under which both India and Pakistan will play their matches at neutral venues in all future ICC events hosted by either country until 2027. This agreement extends to the Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025, the Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, and the Women’s T20 World Cup 2028.
The agreement marks a significant development, given India’s government-imposed ban on the national cricket team traveling to Pakistan for bilateral events for over a decade. The last bilateral series between the two cricketing rivals took place in 2012-13.
