PCB chief opens up about team India's participation in Pakistan-hosted 2025 Champions Trophy

The Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Mohsin Naqvi, has expressed confidence on Sunday that the Indian men’s cricket team will participate in the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy scheduled to be hosted in Pakistan in 2025. The tournament, which will feature eight teams, is set to commence on February 19, 2025, with the final match slated for March 9. Matches are scheduled to be held in major cities including Lahore, Karachi, and Rawalpindi.

India's cricket team has not toured Pakistan since July 2008 due to ongoing political tensions between the two countries. However, Naqvi remains optimistic about breaking this long-standing hiatus.

Addressing reporters in Lahore, he stated, “I have full confidence in the Indian team... So far, there is nothing that would cause them to postpone or cancel. Therefore, all teams will come.”

Historically, Pakistan has not hosted any major ICC events since the 1996 ODI World Cup. The country was set to co-host the 2011 ICC Men’s ODI World Cup but lost its hosting rights following a terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in 2009. The tournament was subsequently held in India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh.

In contrast, India has welcomed Pakistan's team on three occasions in the last 16 years. The first visit occurred in December 2012 for a three-match T20I series and three ODI matches. In 2016, Pakistan participated in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup held in India, and most recently, in 2023, Pakistan toured India for the ODI World Cup, which took place entirely in India for the first time.

During that tournament, Pakistan played two matches each in Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengaluru, and Kolkata, with the high-stakes match against India held at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on October 14.