LAHORE: India has stopped its Kabaddi team from travelling to Pakistan for matches, days after it refused to play ICC Champions Trophy matches in the host country.
India has denied permission for the Kabaddi team to travel to Pakistan, where three matches were scheduled between the two neighbouring countries starting from November 19.
Secretary of the Pakistan Kabaddi Federation, Mohammad Sarwar, told the media that Indian Kabaddi authorities had informed them that they would not be coming to Pakistan for the matches as the Indian government had denied the team’s request for permission to travel.
Pakistan and India were scheduled to play Kabaddi matches in Kartarpur on November 19, Lahore on November 21, and Bahawalpur on November 23.
Sarwar expressed regret over the decision, calling it unfortunate that India would not be travelling to Pakistan. He added that the Pakistan team had already completed its preparations for the matches.
He said that the Federation would now arrange an exhibition match in Nankana.
India’s participation in the upcoming Blind T20 World Cup, scheduled from November 23 to December 3 in Lahore and Multan, is also in doubt. The Indian blind cricket team is still awaiting government approval to travel to Pakistan.
Although the sports ministry has issued a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for the team, approval from India’s Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is still pending.
Shailendra Yadav, General Secretary of the Cricket Association for the Blind in India (CABI), said that they have been waiting for a decision from the government for the past two weeks. “We just need a yes or no from the government,” The Express Tribune quoted Yadav as saying.
The last time India’s blind cricket team played a bilateral series in Pakistan was in 2014.
This development came just days after the ICC informed Pakistan that India had declined to send its cricket team to the Champions Trophy in Pakistan, prompting Pakistani authorities to rule out the hybrid hosting model used for last year’s Asia Cup.
The Champions Trophy will feature eight teams: Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, and South Africa.
Earlier today, the International Cricket Council (ICC) sent the Champions Trophy 2025 from Dubai to Islamabad, a day after the global cricket governing body promised a “thrilling competition” in a statement.
