BCCI rubbishes report of India not travelling to Pakistan for Champions Trophy 2025

MUMBAI: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) vice-president Rajeev Shukla categorically dismissed reports claiming that the Indian cricket team would skip traveling to Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy next year.

In a conversation with the Indian news agency The Print, the BCCI vice-president said, “We do not know which source gave such information. BCCI has not put out any official information regarding this.”

Earlier, Indian media reports emerged, quoting BCCI sources, suggesting that the Men in Blue will not travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy 2025 and will request the International Cricket Council (ICC) to move Indian matches to natural venues such as Sri Lanka or Dubai.

Indian Team has not traveled to Pakistan since 2008 and the last time the two teams played a bilateral was in 2013. Since then, encounters between the two teams have been limited primarily to International Cricket Council (ICC) tournaments and the Asia Cup.

However, Pakistan, the defending champions of the CT title last played in 2017, has announced that 7 teams including India will travel to Pakistan in February next year for the mega event.

The PCB website says that the tournament “scheduled to be announced by the ICC” will see “Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan and South Africa.” The PCB has officially proposed the dates for the Champions Trophy to the ICC from February 19 to March 9.