ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Delayed Due To Indian Stubbornness

Broadcasters, too, are becoming increasingly concerned due to uncertainty surrounding event

LAHORE: (UrduPoint/UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News-Nov 22^nd, 2024) The ongoing impasse between India and Pakistan over the venue for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025 has delayed the schedule announcement.

India’s reluctance to send its team to Pakistan and the Board of Control for cricket in India’s (BCCI) demand for a hybrid model have left the International Cricket Council (ICC) unable to finalize the tournament's dates.

The broadcasters, too, are becoming increasingly concerned due to the uncertainty surrounding the event.

Pakistan has firmly maintained that if India refuses to participate in the tournament in Pakistan, it will not accept playing the event in any other country. In response, the defending champions, Pakistan, have warned that they may withdraw from the tournament if forced to play without India.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi has made it clear to ICC officials that he will not engage in quiet negotiations with India and insists on a direct, transparent approach. He emphasized that if India does not come to Pakistan, the Pakistani government has already stated it will not play against India. “A tit-for-tat policy will be followed,” Naqvi stated.

Naqvi further suggested that if India refuses to play on Pakistani soil, Sri Lanka, as the ninth-ranked team, should be included as per regulations. However, despite these proposals, the ICC, grappling with a financial crunch, remains insistent on having India involved in the event.

Meanwhile, Jay Shah, the incoming Chairman of the ICC, is set to officially take office on December 1.

Sources suggest that sponsors, Indian broadcasters, and key figures within the ICC who are aligned with India are reluctant to take a firm stance on this matter.

Reports indicate that due to the ongoing deadlock between both countries, the ICC may convene an emergency board meeting, where discussions will take place and a potential vote could occur.

In the aftermath of the ICC’s October 21 Board meeting, sources revealed that no objections were raised by India at that time, leading Pakistan to maintain its current position. Additionally, Pakistan has yet to receive a formal response from the ICC regarding a letter it sent. The PCB believes that the Indian Board has verbally communicated India’s refusal to travel to Pakistan.

It is also understood that Jay Shah, leveraging his father Amit Shah’s influence as India’s Home Minister, has been conveying India’s position to the ICC informally. Due to India’s unyielding stance, the ICC has been unable to announce the schedule, and the pressure from broadcasters is mounting.

According to broadcast rights agreements, if the Pakistan-India match does not take place, the ICC could face legal repercussions.

As both boards remain inflexible in their positions, the likelihood of an emergency ICC board meeting increases, where the issue will be debated and possibly voted upon.

The Indian Board made it clear that it does not support traveling to Pakistan, nor does it accept the hybrid model proposed by Pakistan for the tournament.