New Delhi: The Pakistan Cricket Board has opted the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as their choice of neutral venue for the matches of the Indian cricket team in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, as communicated to the International Cricket Council (ICC).
The move comes after the PCB held a meeting with the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB). The chairman of the two boards – Mohsin Naqvi (Pakistan board) and Sheikh Mubarak Al Nahyan (UAE board) – were involved in the meet in the Sindh province of Pakistan, as per reports by cricbuzz.
The two boards have agreed to keep Dubai (Dubai International Cricket Stadium) as the neutral venue, and the high-octane clash between match between India and Pakistan will be played on February 23.
“The PCB has chosen the UAE as the neutral venue and the PCB has formally informed the ICC about the decision. Now, India and Pakistan’s Champions Trophy matches will be held in the UAE,” a PCB spokesperson was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.
India to start Champions Trophy on February 20 next year
Although the official announcement is due for the Champions Trophy schedule, the tentative dates for the eight-team event are said to be between February 19, 2025, and March 9, 2025. It is reported that apart from Pakistan and India, New Zealand and Bangladesh will also be clubbed in the same pool for the brief group stage.
According to a report by ESPNcricinfo, India will be playing their first match of the tournament against Bangladesh on February 20, 2025, which is just three days before the big game against Pakistan. The Men in Blue will play against the Black Caps on March 2, 2025. Pakistan, who are the holders of the Champions Trophy, will start their tournament against New Zealand on February 19, 2025, in Karachi.
The decision to play India’s matches at a neutral venue for the Champions Trophy comes after the ICC made it clear that all India and Pakistan matches in the events hosted by the global governing body will be held at a neutral venue whenever any of the two countries are set to host them.
This means even Pakistan won’t play their matches in India in 2025 Women’s World Cup and 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup as the decision is only limited to the 2025-2027 cycle.
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