Champions Trophy: India To Not Travel To Pakistan; Dubai Could Be Alternate Venue - Report

India are set to play their Champions Trophy 2025 matches at an alternate venue as Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has reportedly conveyed to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) their inability to travel to Pakistan citing security concerns. (More Cricket News)

Media reports on Friday cited people close to the matter to confirm the developments.

“This has been our stance and there is no reason to change that. We have written to them and asked them to shift our games to Dubai,” a source in the know of the developments told Indian Express.

After Indian Minister of External Affairs S Jaishakar visited Pakistan for a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting last month. Speculations were rife about the resuming of cricketing ties between the two nations as Jaishankar had met Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar on the sidelines of the meeting in Islamabad. Reports had also stated that PCB chairman Pakistan’s Interior Minister Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi was also part of the meeting.

However, the negotiations have seemingly failed as the latest reports confirm India's negative response on travelling to the neighbouring country. A hybrid model on the lines of last year's Asia Cup seems the way forward.

Dubai in the United Arab Emirates remains the front-runner to host India's matches which, in the draft schedule prepared by the PCB, have been allotted to Lahore.

India played its Asia Cup 2023 matches in Sri Lanka while other matches of the tournament were held in Pakistan.

The Men In Blue played in Pakistan last time in 2008 Asia Cup. India cut all bilateral cricketing ties with Pakistan after the deadly 26/11 attacks in Mumbai in which 174 people were killed. Since then India have played Pakistan only in ICC events apart from one limited over series at home that took place in 2012-13.

Champions Trophy 2025 is set to begin February 19 and the final is scheduled on March 9. Pakistan are the defending champions, having beaten India in the final the last time the tournament was held in 2017,