Dubai has been finalised as the neutral venue for Team India matches for the Champions Trophy 2025 with a semi-final and the final set to be hosted in the UAE if the “Men in Blue” qualify for the knockouts.
A reliable source in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed that Dubai is the venue which is finalised after the meeting between PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi and his UAE counterpart Sheikh Nahyan Al Mubarak.
Sheikh Nahyan, who is currently vacationing in the Ghotki region of Sindh and Naqvi, who is also the country`s interior minister, met and finalised the logistical and administrative matters for the mega-event hosted by Pakistan.
The discussions over hosting the Champions Trophy 2025 finally reached an end when the International Cricket Board (ICC) announced that all Team India matches for the event will be played at a neutral venue instead of Pakistan.
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The “Men in Green” will get similar arrangements for tournaments to be held in India till 2027.
It is now expected for the ICC to announce the final schedule of the Champions Trophy 2025. Pakistan will likely host nine to 10 matches with the final set to be played in Lahore if India doesn`t qualify, added the source.
The hybrid arrangement will apply to the Champions Trophy 2025 (Pakistan), next year`s women`s Cricket World Cup in India and the T20 World Cup in 2026 in India and Sri Lanka.
India had refused to travel to Pakistan for the event scheduled in February-March due to security concerns. The Indians have not played in Pakistan since the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks in which 150 people were killed. The two countries` last bilateral engagement was back in 2012.
Travelling to Pakistan also requires the Indian government`s clearance which has remained firm on the status quo. While BCCI`s stance was always clear, the matter got stretched because of PCB`s refusal to allow a “one-sided” arrangement of neutral venues.
Led by Naqvi, the PCB was determined not to lose face in front of the local public. PCB, which had sent its team to India for the ODI World Cup last year, had categorically opposed the hybrid model but eventually agreed to it on reciprocal grounds.
(With PTI Inputs)
