ISLAMABAD: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has reportedly been designated as the neutral venue for India’s matches in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, scheduled to take place in Pakistan next year.
According to sources, this decision regarding the neutral venue was reached during a meeting between Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi and Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, head of the UAE Cricket Board, in Ghotki on Saturday evening.
This announcement follows Naqvi’s earlier statement that a resolution on the matter would be finalized by today.
Earlier this week, the International Cricket Council (ICC) revealed that the Men’s 2025 Champions Trophy would adopt a hybrid model, allowing India to play its matches at a neutral location instead of the host country.
This issue had been a contentious point between the PCB and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), particularly due to the latter’s reluctance to send the Indian team to Pakistan amid security concerns and political tensions.
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Initially, the PCB resisted the idea of a hybrid model for the Champions Trophy but eventually conceded after negotiations, agreeing that both teams would compete at neutral venues for all future matches hosted by either nation until 2027.
The consensus was achieved after extensive discussions involving both parties and the ICC.
A statement from the ICC on December 19 confirmed, “Matches between India and Pakistan hosted by either country during the 2024-2027 rights cycle will be played at a neutral venue.”
This agreement will also extend to the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025, hosted by India, and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.
The neutral venue arrangement will apply to the Women’s T20 World Cup in 2028, which Pakistan will host.
It is important to note that the Indian government has barred the national cricket team from travelling to Pakistan for bilateral events for over a decade.
Consequently, the two arch-rivals only face each other in ICC multi-national tournaments, with the last bilateral series occurring when Pakistan toured India in 2012-13.
India’s last visit to Pakistan was for the 2008 Asia Cup, marking an 18-year hiatus from bilateral series across the border.
