Reports: Pakistan to opt themselves out of Champions Trophy 2025 if India don't travel

With the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 rapidly approaching, the marquee event is all set to be held in Pakistan in the early stages of 2025. However, as has been the case since the past decade or so, there have been some issues with the Indian team’s travel to Pakistan for the tournament. 

It is worth noting that due to the political tensions between India and Pakistan, the Men in Blue did not travel to Pakistan for the Asia Cup 2023 as well. Ultimately, the competition was held in a hybrid format, with India playing their matches in Sri Lanka. 

With the Champions Trophy looming on the horizon, the PCB recently confirmed that the ICC has conveyed to them about the BCCI’s decision to not travel to Pakistan for the marquee tournament. 

Also Read: PCB not looking to accept hybrid model for Champions Trophy 2025

The reports have stated that the Indian cricket team does not have a government clearance to travel to Pakistan for the tournament, and the BCCI have informed the ICC about the same as well. 

Furthermore, there have been reports that the PCB is looking to approach the ICC Dispute Resolution Committee against the BCCI. However, despite the potential dispute, the BCCI is standing strong on not sending India to Pakistan due to security reasons. 

It is worth noting that the PCB has previously filed a complaint against the BCCI with the ICC Dispute Resolution Committee. However, that backfired on the board, as they were fined two million dollars due to them not having a proper case. Despite the previous instances, the PCB reportedly has a strong belief within themselves that they have a strong case to make this time around. 

The idea behind the thought process is that when the PCB were given the chance to host the Champions Trophy 2025 in November 2021, there was no condition that it would be subjected to the Indian team travelling to Pakistan. 

Furthermore, the PCB also believes that through any of the ICC meetings since November 2021 to October 2024, the BCCI has never hinted that they will not be travelling to Pakistan for the tournament.